The One
by MysticLyght
Summary: AU: She had wanted to see him ever since he had helped her. Little did she know that it was his brother that helped her on that fateful day. Does love come via understanding or surviving challenges together? "Even I may slip up in front of the person I like" "I'm tired of waiting" "I want her to fall in love with me for me, not because I helped her" Itasakusasu image:rinmaru
1. Chapter 1

So, basically... This is a high school love story.

**I was inspired by a manga that I really liked. If you're interested, I can pm you the name. I brought this manga a while back, so I don't know if there are scans on the internet.**

**Characters:**

(My beloved) Haruno Sakura - first year high school student

Uchiha Itachi - teacher at Konoha Academy (he is a young teacher)

Uchiha Sasuke - first year high school student

Yamanaka Ino - Sakura's bff

And most of the whole gang.

**Pairing: **itasakusasu and side pairings

**Type:** Chaptered

**Genre:** Romance/Drama

**Disclaimer:** Seriously, if one owns said manga, then one does not write fanfic for said manga.

**The One**

**I: The situation where he is happy to see her and she is too occupied with someone else to notice him.**

_His eyes were dark: a midnight blue color. His face was beautiful: decorated by a sharp nose, strong chin, and high cheekbones. His ebony bangs draped down, acting as a frame for his face. Yet, she wasn't attracted to his appearance. Instead, she had fallen in love with the dark orbs that were filled with worry._

A pink haired girl stood below a blossoming Sakura tree. She smiled brightly as the memories of that dark haired and dark eyed boy filled her mind. Her pale hand reached out and caressed a board that read, "Entrance Ceremony". Her brilliant green eyes shifted from the sign to the enormous school building as a thought crossed her mind, "Today is the day! I will finally be able to meet him."

A dark eyed boy with dark spiky hair stared at the girl with an amused smirk. When he saw the silly smile on her face, a light laugh rumbled in his chest. He wasn't the kind of boy who would laugh easily but he would make exceptions for this girl. He blinked in curiosity when the girl touched the sign lovingly. His smirk almost became a smile when he realized that she was also wearing the uniform of Konoha Academy. This was an average high school but it had many amazing sports team.

The boy walked toward the girl, "What are you doing?"

The startled girl turned and he noticed that her eyes had widen in fear. Her green orbs glowed and he couldn't stop himself from perusing her face. She was beautiful and he wanted to remember every contour of her face.

She gasped. The boy before her had the same dark colored eyes and hair. His face was handsome like the one that plagued her mind. Her heart was racing as she thought,"Uchiha san?"

She blinked and noticed a slight difference. The boy standing in front of her had spiky hair, but not stress lines under his eyes. Although the resemblance was uncanny, this was not the person of her dreams.

He wanted to laugh at her star filled eyes, but stopped. "Are you stupid?"

The blush faded from her face. "What?"

He brushed pass her, "You are in the way, I can't get through."

She fought down an angry comeback and stepped back immediately. Her bright eyes glared at his back. "I can't believe that I thought that he looked like Uchiha san. He may be handsome, but he is nothing like the kind and gentle Uchiha san!"

The boy glanced at the girl behind him and smirked. He could tell that she wanted to yell at him. In truth, he wanted her to speak, just so he could hear her voice. His ebony eyes lingered on her still form for a moment longer before he entered the building.

She waited until he was gone from her sight and then softly pinched her arm. "I will not let that get to me. I will finally see Uchiha san after so long! I'll pretend this didn't happen!". She squeezed her bag against her side and ran inside the school.

When she entered the gymnasium that was filled with chairs, in preparation of the entrance ceremony, she immediately looked around for familiar faces. Since she was fairly early, there weren't many people around. She took out her white Nokia and tapped on 1. When her best friend had gotten her hand on her cellphone, she had set herself up as her number 1 speed dial. The girl waited patiently as the line hummed.

"Forehead!" a cheerful voice boomed out of the phone.

"Pig, where are you?"

"At home, getting dressed."

"You know you can't be fashionably late today, right?"

"I know, that's why I am up already. Wait... Are you there already?"

"... Yes" she replied softly.

"Forehead. I know you can't wait to see him, but don't you think arriving two hours early is going a bit far."

A blush covered the girl's cheeks. She tugged on her long pink tresses nervously, "I was excited and couldn't sleep."

"Forehead... I think you are crazy but that's what I like about you. I will come as soon as possible."

"Okay, see you!" The pinkette hung up and slipped the mobile into her bag. She looked around and saw a few people, who she assumed to be teachers, setting up the stage and chairs. A pair were lining up folding chairs nearby. She ran up to them, "Do you need some help?"

A dark haired, red eyed woman turned around and looked at the girl and her uniform. "Wow, you are very early!"

The girl blushed shyly, "I was excited."

A man with a shining bob gave her a thumbs up, "That's the spirit, my youthful student! Your help is greatly appreciated!"

The girl was slightly startled by the strange man's enthusiasm. She looked at the first woman who was sighing softly at the man. The woman turned to her, "I'm Yuhi sensei. This is Might sensei. We could always use a helping hand, Miss..."

The girl bowed in greeting, "Nice to meet you, Yuhi sensei, Might sensei. I am Haruno Sakura."

The pair smiled at her and Yuhi sensei pointed to a stack of chairs leaning against the gymnasium wall, "Haruno, you can help us by carrying the chairs over here."

She nodded, "Where can I put down my bag?"

Yuhi-sensei pointed to the stage, "Just leave it next to the stairs."

Sakura nodded and walked toward the stage. A pile of other teachers and staffs' bags were already there, so she gingerly propped hers next to it. When she looked up from the ground, her eyes connected with a pair of warm hazel orbs. A man with red hair was holding onto a microphone and its cord. She quickly bowed in greeting, "I'm Haruno Sakura!"

The man nodded, "Akasuna Sasori."

Sakura titled her head in curiosity, "Akasuna sensei?"

"Yes, I teach art and music," he replied expressionlessly.

His eyes continued to bore onto her face and Sakura couldn't take it anymore. She tugged on her hair nervously, "I'll go help out now!"

Akasuna sensei didn't reply as she attempted to discreetly fast walk away from him. A small smirk tugged at his lips as he watched her go. "She seems interesting. Haruno Sakura, number 2 in her grade."

Sakura ran toward the wall and greeted the sensei that was picking up a stack of chairs. His hair was tied up into a ponytail and he had a scar running across the bridge of his nose. He gave her a gentle smile, "Haruno-kun, thank you for your help."

"You're welcome, Umino-sensei." She lifted two folding chairs under each arm.

Umino sensei blinked, "You're very strong, Haruno-kun!"

"I've been told that a lot," she smiled in return.

Umino sensei started walking to the unfinished rows and Sakura rushed to follow him. The pair was later joined by another teacher who had silver hair. Umino sensei had yelled at this Hatake-sensei when he entered and forced him to help set up the chairs. After an hour and a half had passed, all the rows were completed. Umino sensei wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled at the girl, "Thank you for your help. Kakashi is so lazy sometimes! I probably wouldn't have finished in time without your help."

Sakura grinned, "It was my pleasure to help!"

He looked at his watch, "Haruno-kun, there is still 30 minutes until the ceremony. Students are arriving now, you should go look for your friends."

Sakura gasped when she saw the numbers on his watch. "Oh, Ino may be here already!" She waved at Umino sensei, "It was nice meeting you, sensei! I will see you later!" The pinkette dashed toward the pile of bags and picked up hers. She dug her hand in and pulled out her phone. A relieved sigh escaped her lips when she noticed her best friend's message.

"Forehead, I will be there in 20." It was sent 18 minutes ago. She stuffed the phone back to where it belonged and ran to the front gates. On her way, she noticed many students walking iton the gymnasium and many more were passing through the front gates. Her emerald eyes brightened when she saw a familiar platinum blonde ponytail.

She waved happily, "Pig, over here!"

The platinum blonde's aqua eyes sparkled when she spotted her beloved friend. She ran past the people in front of her and stopped in front of Sakura. "Told you I will be on time!"

"Yeah, yeah. When did you get up to do your makeup and hair, huh?" Sakura teased when she noticed the light eye shadow and dark eyeliner that made her friend's eyes pop out.

"Details, details," Ino replied, "Anyways, have you seen him yet?"

"No, not yet," Sakura sighed wistfully.

Ino linked her arm around Sakura's, "Well, let's go look for him!"

Sakura nodded and the pair entered the gymnasium together. Ino pulled the pinkette toward the right side of the gymnasium, where the chairs for the teachers were set up. "If we sit here, we will be able to find him easily and he would be able to see you!"

Sakura blushed and looked at the teachers who were seated already. She nodded politely toward the senseis who she met already while Ino watched the door for incoming senseis. When they couldn't find the dark haired man, Sakura sighed, "Uchiha san is not here yet."

Ino pinched her elbow softly, "It's the entrance ceremony, he will show up."

The pair continued their search and were unaware of the dark eyes that were looking at them. The boy from before smirked to himself, "What is she doing?" Their heads were moving about, as if they were searching for someone. Suddenly, the pinkette's expression brightened and her eyes gleamed. He followed her gaze to see what had her so intrigued.

Sakura nearly squealed like a little girl when she saw the man of her dreams entered the room. He had long black hair that fell to his shoulders and dark onyx eyes. He was tall and easily towered over the blue haired teacher that entered the room with him. There was a soft smile on his sincere face as he greeted the other teachers in the room. Sakura whispered, "Uchiha-san is right there…"

Ino looked over at the door and grinned, "Shouldn't it be Uchiha-sensei now?"

The boy who was watching them narrowed his eyes. It was obvious to him that she was looking at the tall man who had just entered the room. The blush on her cheeks irritated him, "Does she know my brother?"

**Here is the end of the first chapter! By the way, the blue haired teacher isn't Kisame. We all know that he is huge and taller than Itachi.**

**Hoped you enjoyed it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**The One**

**II: The situation in which she fights off her own bullies and he tends to her injury.**

Ino sighed as she stretched her arms, "The entrance ceremony is so boring! Even some of the teachers were snoozing! The only good thing was that we sat so close to Uchiha sensei and you could see him so easily, right, Sakura?" The blonde turned around, only to find an empty space where her friend should be. Ino turned from side to side and then lifted her hands to her mouth, "Sakura?! Where did you go?!"

"Uh," the pinkette hissed as she was roughly pushed against a wall. Ignoring the pain against her back, she opened her eyes and stared at the figure that had caged her against the wall. Her emerald eyes widen in recognition, "The guy from this morning!"

At this close distance, Sakura could tell that he was at least a few inches taller than her. His dark eyes stared into hers intensely, "You… Do you like my brother?"

"What?" Sakura glared back.

"Uchiha Itachi, my brother," he stated.

Sakura's eyes soften in confusion, "Uchiha? You're Uchiha sensei's brother?"

The boy's eyes narrowed and he leaned in closer. Sakura could feel his ebony bangs touching her cheeks, "I asked you, do you like my brother?"

She closed her eyes and thought, "What is with this guy?! He called me stupid this morning and is now trying to pry into my personal life?!"

Her eyes snapped open with ferocity, "What's it to you?!"

He jerked back at her outburst and dropped his arms. An uncertain look crossed his eyes as he stepped back, away from her. "Nothing…" he whispered, "As long as you don't like him!" He swiftly turned around, showing her his back, and walked away.

Sakura grabbed the hem of her skirt, "No wonder they looked alike, he is Uchiha sensei's brother. But their personalities are like opposites."

Shaking off the urge to chase after the boy and punching him to oblivion, Sakura ran back to her class A-1. When she entered, a pair of arms wrapped around her as its owner tackled her. Ino cried out, "Where were you?! Don't disappear on me like that!"

The pinkette pushed her friend back and apologized, "Sorry, I was occupied."

Ino placed one hand on her hip, "Well, while you were occupied, I found out something!"

Sakura's heart thumped as Ino continued speaking, "I found out that Uchiha sensei's homeroom is class C-2. He should be there right now!"

"What are we waiting for?!" Sakura said excitedly as she turned to get out of the door.

Ino pulled on her friend's sleeve, "Slow down! I can't go with you. I have to go see Shika first. My dad has something to give to his dad and made me his messenger."

"Oh," Ino wanted to squeal at Sakura's adorable pout.

"Just go on without me," Ino smiled, "Just turn left and follow the hall."

Sakura nodded, "Thanks Ino, I will see you later!" With that said, she dashed out of the door and quick walked to her destination. When she arrived, she noticed that she clearly stood out. Not only was her first year blue colored tie different from the rest of the second year green colored ties, she was also the only person with vivid pink hair. She was used to having people question about her hair so she ignored to the strange stares that everyone was giving her.

A few upper classmen noticed her exotic hair and were awed by her beautiful face. One whispered, "That's a cute first year." Another nodded, "Wonder what she is doing here?" The group slowly approached Sakura, who was too busy looking for Uchiha sensei to notice. When they surrounded her, she finally realized that it was probably a bad idea to come to the older students' classrooms on her own.

"Are you lost?" One asked.

She shook her head.

"Are you looking for your boyfriend?" Another asked. It was common for love sick girls to chase their older boyfriends to their high school, after all.

Sakura tried to back away from the crowd, "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Really? Then do you want one?" a tall one asked as he reached out to touch her pink hair.

Sakura twitched. She knew she could take a guy down with no problem, but this many was impossible. She shook her head, "I'm not interested."

The boy narrowed his eyes and tried to grab her, but she was suddenly pulled out of the crowd. The hand that was wrapped around her wrist was strong and warm. Sakura slowly turned around and nearly fainted. The person who had saved her was none other than Uchiha sensei himself. Her face flushed. At that moment, she was so glad that he was too busy staring at the boys to notice. He released her hand and stepped forward, making the boys back up in fear. Sakura was upset at the lost of contact but this was not the time to think about that.

"What were you doing?" Uchiha sensei's velvet voice flowed out.

"We were trying to help her, that's all!" The first boy answered.

"She is a first-year!" The tall one added.

Uchiha sensei turned around and faced the girl. The coldness from his eyes was quickly replaced with a soft warmth. "Is this true? Do you need help?"

Sakura sneaked a peek at the fearful boys behind sensei and gulped. This was the first day of school and she didn't want anyone to get in trouble. Besides, because of them, Uchiha sensei touched her wrist! Sakura nodded quickly, "They were only trying to help me."

Everyone watching the scene turned away. They knew the girl was lying, but who were they to judge when it was obvious that the girl wanted to drop the problem. The man had noticed the other students' reactions and the sigh of relief from the boys behind him. However, if the pink haired girl was fine, then he would let this go. "Are you lost?"

Sakura nodded numbly. She still couldn't believe that the man of her dreams was talking to her.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist, "There are a few minutes left before class, I will take you back to the first years classrooms."

One of the boys jumped, "Sensei, I can do that!"

"It is alright, I have to speak with someone. It's on the way," he replied smoothly and began walking.

Sakura blinked in surprise and ran after him, leaving all the boys dazed and dejected.

The man looked down at the girl who had a small blush on her face. He spoke, "You are Haruno Sakura, correct?"

Her eyes widen in surprise, "Yes."

"I'm Uchiha Itachi, nice to meet you," he said.

Since sensei talked to her first, Sakura decided that it was alright to start a conversation, "Uchiha sensei, how do you know my name?"

"It is hard to forget the name of a student who entered the academy with full marks on her test," Itachi replied, "It is also hard to forget a pink haired girl that ride the same train as me."

Sakura's eyes glowed as she thought, "He remembers me! Applying to this school was so worth it!"

When they neared the first year hallway, Itachi stopped walking, causing Sakura to look up at him with curiosity. "Thank you for walking me back, Uchiha sensei."

"Haruno-san," Itachi stated seriously, "I do not know why such an intelligent student like you could have gotten lost and I will not question you. However, I will only let this incident go this time. If, in the future, other students bother you, please speak up."

A surge of warmth flushed her cheeks. Sakura could only nod softly as he walked away and she returned to her own classroom. She hummed happily as she skipped to her assigned chair. When she looked up, she noticed that Ino hadn't returned yet. "Oh well, let her be lovey dovey with Shikamaru." The pinkette was so absorbed by her thoughts that she didn't notice the person who sat down next to her.

When he spoke, her beautiful bubble burst. "Hey."

Sakura's pink brow twitched when she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. Her mind was running in circles, "The guy from earlier… He is Uchiha sensei's little brother. Don't tell me that he is sitting next to me!"

The boy smirked and Sakura wanted to pull her hair out, "Why?! Why am I stuck with him as m neighbor?! Ino, come back!"

It took all of Haruno Sakura's willpower and patience to not throw her desk at the irritating boy next to her. He practically spent the whole day looking at her. She couldn't stop her eyes from twitching when he smirked at her sneeze. She tried to ask for Ino's help but her friend was seated on the other side of the room. "I hate assigned sitting!"

When school finally ended, Sakura dashed to Ino's side and avoided the boy's attempt to speak with her. She looped her arm around her best friend's, "Should we go home now?"

Ino sighed softly and removed Sakura's hand, "Sorry, forehead. I would love to go home with you and go shopping along the way, but I can't. Shika and I have to go to Chouji's for a Inoshikacho thing. Our parents said we have to go as soon as class ended. Shika is coming to get me."

Sakura smiled, "It's okay. I understand. It's like the UzuHaru thing with my parents and Naruto's parents. I will see you later?"

Ino apologized one more time before leaving with Shikamaru, who had came to their classroom. Sakura sighed, "Guess I will be going to the station by myself then."

After Sakura changed her shoes and walked outside, she was approached by a few girls who were wearing green colored ties. The one in the front had short purple hair and an angry expression. Her arms were crossed, "You there. First year, we want to talk to you."

Two girls flanked Sakura's sides and forced her to follow the leader of the group to the back of the school. Once they got there, the girls cornered the pinkette against a tree. One sneered, "You're so brave to come to our part of the school."

"On the first day too" another added.

"Who do you think you're?"

"We liked Uchiha sensei ever since he came here last year!"

"Don't you dare cutting in front of the line!"

Sakura squeezed her hands into balls, "I've liked him since he was a college student! I won't give up to the likes of you!"

The dark haired boy that irritated Sakura all day stopped walking. He just heard the voice of the girl that he kept thinking of. Quickly, he ran to the back of the building and saw a group of girls surrounding a speck of pink. He stepped forward, hoping to stop them from bullying his classmate. However, he stopped moving when he heard a loud crunch and the girls' shrill screams.

Sakura had had enough of these girls. If they truly liked Uchiha sensei, they would confess to him. Even if he rejected them, they should keep trying until their love reciprocated. She would not cower in front of cowards like them. Before she had met Ino, she was just like them. Always hiding in fear and being afraid to do what she wanted. Now, she would be strong and confident.

One girl lifted her arm, in preparation to slap the pinkette. Emerald eyes narrowed and the girl stopped, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Once those words left her lips, Sakura swung her fist toward the tree. A loud crunch echoed across the school yard and the girls screamed when they saw the small fist mark that was etched deep into the tree bark. "Still want to bully me?" Sakura bit out.

The group stepped back, "Uchiha sensei will never like a violent brute like you!" and ran away.

Lucky for the younger Uchiha, they didn't see him. He waited until they were gone from sight and slowly walked toward the girl. Her head was down and her long hair covered face. Her arms dangled by her side lifelessly and the fist that punched the tree was red from the impact. She didn't speak nor look up when he got closer. The boy stilled when he heard soft sniffles and saw droplets hit the dirt.

"Are you really stupid?" he asked softly.

She looked up and glared at him with tear filled eyes. He felt his heart clench at the sight.

"What are you doing here?"

"'I'm not 'you'. I'm Uchiha Sasuke, you should know my name, classmate."

Sakura wiped her tears with her sleeve, "I can't believe he keep finding me when I am acting like a stupid fool."

Sasuke grabbed her arm and touched her abused knuckle.

"You think I am a violent brute too, don't you?" Sakura said bitterly.

"Is this why you're crying?" Sasuke said softly as he started pulling her along with him, toward the school building.

Sakura ignored his question, "Where are you taking me?"

"To the infirmary," Sasuke stated matter of factly, "You can't go home with a busted hand, can you?"

She followed him without complaint, "Is the infirmary still open after school?"

"There are sports team practicing, they have to leave it open."

When they arrived, Sasuke pushed the door and held it open for Sakura. She stepped in quickly and called out, "Sensei, are you here?"

Sasuke walked toward the desk and read the note that was left there. "I have a meeting with the principal! If anyone needs anything, please take it yourself without causing chaos. Love, Shizune."

"Guess I'll have to fix this on my own then," Sakura said as began opening the cabinets with her unharmed hand.

The boy quickly grabbed her and forced her to sit down on a chair, "You can't bandage your hand with one hand. I'll do it, just sit."

Once Sasuke gathered everything he needed, he pulled a chair closer to Sakura's and sat down. He took her wrist with his left hand and began dabbing on the small cuts with a cotton ball that was soaked in disinfectant. He noticed her wince, "That's for being stupid."

Sakura wanted to glare at him but she knew that he was only joking. After he was done cleaning her wound, he placed two thin pieces of gauze on the injury and secured them by wrapping a bandage around them. Emerald eyes followed his fingers as she thought, "Could it be that Sasuke-kun isn't such a bad guy?"

"Alright, this should be fine," Sasuke said as he stood up and returned everything to where they belonged. He extended a hand to Sakura, "Let's go home."

The pinkette followed him out of the school and onto the street. She watched his back silently, "I guess it is only normal that we go the same way. I see Uchiha sensei at the station, that means his little brother must get off the train at the same place too."

When the arrived at the station, it was already packed with people. It was a struggle to get into the train and not get pushed out. Sakura wormed her way to the side of the cart and Sasuke followed her. His larger frame trapped her against the doors while shielding her from the crowd. Disliking their close proximity, Sakura tried to press herself further against the doors.

Noticing her movement, Sasuke hissed, "Stop squirming. You may hit your hand."

Sakura stilled immediately after he caught onto her plan of backing away. She looked at up him, staring at his face. A thought crossed her mind, "He really does look like Uchiha sensei."

Sasuke noticed her obvious staring and mentally fidgeted. He felt awkward with her looking at him at such proximity. "Stop starting."

She turned away from him, "I wasn't staring, don't be so vain."

He chose to ignore her insult, "By the way, are you going to join the archery club at school?"

She returned her attention to him, "How did you know I do archery?"

Sasuke raked his brain for an excuse and ended up pointing at her hand. "When I was bandaging it earlier, I saw the callus from drawing on a bow."

"Oh," Sakura said softly.

Suddenly, she was shoved against Sasuke's chest. More people had just boarded the train and they were forced closer together. Sasuke tried his best to protect Sakura and her injured hand.

"Just bear with it," he said.

Sakura didn't respond. Her mind wasn't listening to him. Instead, she was wondering why his heart was beating so fast. She could hear the rapid and steady thumps of his heart since her ear was literally pressed up against his chest.

Sakura squeezed her eyes closed as she endured the rest of the ride, "It's just my imagination."

**Till next time, readers!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy, my lovelies~**

**The One**

**III: The situation in which his cousin is annoying and she makes a new friend**

"How was the first day of high school, Sasuke-Chan?" a cheerful voice greeted the dark haired boy when he entered his house.

He looked at the curly haired man who was lounging on the soft plush sofa of his living room. Normally, he would be irritated by this man, who always enter his house without permission. Today, however, he was in a good enough mood to not care at all.

Sasuke tried to walk past his cousin, but his cousin stopped him by blocking his way. The man grinned, "Sasuke-Chan, did something good happen?"

A small blush dusted the boy's stoic face, causing the man to grin evilly. "So there is a girl!"

"None of your business, Shisui" Sasuke said quickly, attempting to push past his cousin.

Shisui smirked, "Don't be shy, Sasuke-Chan. How about this? Let Shisui nii san take you to school tomorrow and show me who she is. I will be your wingman!"

The boy's dark orbs narrowed. "No."

Shisui tapped his head with his knuckle and grinned goofily, "Oh dear! How can I forget? Sasuke-chan's crush rides the train!"

Sasuke's eyes gleamed dangerously, causing Shisui to back up immediately. The younger Uchiha shrug off his jacket and walked to his room. He often questioned why his parents gave Shisui a spare key to their house. They said that since Itachi moved out, it would be better for someone else to check in on him once in awhile. Sasuke grumbled mentally, "It feels like I am the one taking care of him whenever he comes here."

He swiftly unbuttoned his uniform and slipped his undershirt over his head. He tossed the articles aside and walked into his personal bathroom. Sasuke stared at his reflection in the mirror and clutched at his chest. "I hopes she didn't hear my heart beat," he muttered as he relived the moment. She was a decent height, but still short in comparison to him. Her head fitted perfectly against his chest and it took a lot of effort to let her go when they reached their station.

Sasuke smirked at his reflection, "Haruno Sakura."

The next morning, Sasuke desparately tried to steal Shisui's copy of his house key. The man in question was drinking tea in the kitchen, as if he belonged there. He waved lazily at Sasuke, who was dressed in his school uniform and prepared to leave.

"Breakfast, Sasuke-Chan?" Shisui lifted his tea cup in greeting.

Sasuke sighed, "Why are you still here?"

"Don't be so mean! I stayed the night so I can drive you to school this morning!"

"I take the train."

"But you love my red hot baby!"

"No thanks."

"Oh, so your crush is more important than my car now?"

Sasuke visibly twitched, "Get out or I will throw you out."

"Sasuke-Chan," Shisui pouted, "I am just trying to be kind. Think about it. Girls will swoon when they see you walk out of the car."

Sasuke tried to imagine a certain pink haired, green eyed girl swooning, but the image of his older brother popped into his mind. He mentally shook off the image. He looked at his cousin who looked like a dog waiting for a treat, "Alright, but no funny business."

Although the incident with Uchiha sensei happened yesterday, Sakura was still feeling extremely giddy and happy. She woke up bright and early, got dressed, and nearly skipped to the station. Since she was quite early, the train wasn't as packed as it would be. "I wonder if Sasuke-kun is here..."

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she pinched herself. "What am I thinking? All he did was help me out a little yesterday."

The pinkette returned to day dreaming about her beloved sensei as she boarded the train and peacefully rode to the station near her school. After the train arrived, she happily skipped out of the cart and began walking toward Konoha Academy. Her walk was peaceful until a red sports car came into view.

Shisui whistled when he saw something unique walking along the sidewalk. He wondered if the pink that he was seeing was natural or dyed. "Would you look at that?" he said cheerfully.

Sasuke followed his cousin's gaze and gaped at the same sight. His unblinking eyes was the only response that Shisui needed. "I see."

Sasuke didn't respond, so Shisui decided to take matters into his own hands. He swiftly pulled over, startling both Sasuke and the pinkette. She blinked owlishly at the stranger who poked his head out of the car's window and smiled at her.

"Are you Sasuke-chan's girlfriend?" Shisui called out.

Sakura took a moment to register the strange man's question. It was then that she noticed he looked extremely similar to Uchiha sensei. She walked closer to the car, "There are more of you?"

It was Shisui's turn to be taken by surprise. He admitted that the girl was pretty cute but he had no idea what she was talking about. "More of what?"

"Uchiha sensei' brothers."

Shisui laughed, "I am his older cousin! I guess you're also a fan of my older little cousin. Poor younger little cousin."

Sasuke finally snapped. He unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed the passenger seat door open. He shot a quick glare at his cousin and then ran onto the sidewalk. Shisui watched in awe as Sasuke grabbed the girl's wrist and ran off.

Shisui smirked as he watched them go, "Good luck, little cousin.". He snickered, "You'll need it."

Sasuke fast walked towards the school, ignoring Sakura's protests. She was being dragged behind him and she didn't like it at all. Eyes gleaming with fire, Sakura dug in her heels and stood still. Sasuke, who was still walking, was suddenly jerked back by Sakura's sudden stop.

"I said let me go," she bit out.

Finally noticing their joined hand and wrist, Sasuke dropped his hand immediately. Lucky for him, Sakura didn't notice the blush on his cheeks. Instead, she rubbed her wrist, "What was that?"

"That was my annoying cousin," Sasuke explained, "If you ever see that car, just run or hide."

Sakura usually stood her ground instead of running away, but she had to admit that she should probably heed his advice for her own personal safety. So, she nodded.

Once he was certain that Sakura would protect herself from Shisui, Sasuke turned around and continued walking. Sakura followed him and the pair soon arrived at the school. They were both fairly early since there weren't many students around yet.

When they arrived at their classroom, their sensei, Umino sensei, greeted them with a warm smile. "Good morning, Haruno kun, Uchiha kun."

Sasuke nodded in reply while Sakura said a soft good morning. They were about to go to their seats but Umino sensei stopped them. "Can you two help me carry these notebooks to the teachers' lounge for me?

Sakura, who was always ready to help, nodded. She lifted half the stack with both arms and Sasuke followed suit. She didn't want to be stuck with him, but walking in the halls with him is better than sitting next to him in the room. Umino sensei waved as they walked out of the door.

When they were half way to their destination, Might Sensei popped out of nowhere and knocked into Sakura. All the notebooks fell out of hers arm and scattered onto the floor. Might sensei gasped, "Sorry, youthful spirit, but I'm in a hurry!". Indeed he was because he made a bet with Hatake sensei, claiming that he could run through every corridor faster than Hatake sensei's record of three minutes.

Sakura smiled,"It's alright, sensei."

Might sensei gave her a thumbs up and dashed away. Sakura got down to her knees without complain and began picking up the fallen notebooks. Sasuke crutched down next to her, "That's for being so clumsy."

She grumbled, "That wasn't my fault."

"Are you alright? Do you need help?" a smooth voice asked.

Sakura's heart danced at the sound of that voice, "It's..."

She turned around and looked into the warm dark pools of Uchiha sensei's eyes. He picked up a stray notebook and placed it in her hands. The soft smile on his face made Sasuke growl.

"Uchiha sensei!" Sakura chirped. "Thank you!" Her heart was racing.

The man nodded in reply while Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Brother, you don't have to help us, we got it."

"It's fine, these are going to the teachers' lounge, right?" Uchiha sensei replied, "I am going there right now."

"This is my chance!" Sakura thought. She beamed, "Sensei, I will help you!"

He smiled, "It's alright, I can carry this by myself."

Sakura was instantly dejected, which caused the boy next to her to grumble. He stood up abruptly and pulled Sakura up by the elbow. The man didn't miss the slight scowl on his little brother's face.

"You heard him, he said he can do it. Let's go back."

Sakura blinked, "eh?"

Sasuke started dragging her as Itachi said, "See you."

Sakura's mind was racing, "What?! How?! I wanted to be with sensei! This isn't fair!"

She jerked her elbow free from Sasuke's grip. "Let go!"

A brief reluctant expression crossed his face. He turned away from her, hoping that she didn't catch it. "I don't get you."

"Huh?"

"My brother is just a little bit nice to you and you instantly have hearts in your eyes and a smile on your face," Sasuke said coldly, "Do you think you're special to him? He is nice to everyone. Everyone that he is not close with."

"I don't understand your so called feelings for him, but it's annoying. You don't even know him."

While he was saying those words, his mind was thinking about something else. "Shut up! What am I saying?! This isn't what I meant!"

Sakura, of course, could only hear what was said and she didn't like what she did hear. Her hands tightened into fists, "Be quiet! You can't possibly understand my feelings! You're just jealous because he is liked by so many people!"

Sasuke finally realized what it felt like to be the practice targets. Sakura's aim was a little off, but her arrow still struck him hard. She was right. He was jealous of his brother, but that was not the only reason that caused him to lash out at her. He stepped forward, trying to apologize, but Sakura pushed pass him. He could only watch her back and regret yelling at her.

She was so angry. She wanted to punch him so much, but she couldn't because she knew that he was right. She didn't know Uchiha sensei that well. Heck, she felt like that she knew more about Sasuke in two days than she knew about Uchiha sensei in 2 years. However, she was not the type of girl who gives up easily. Even if her chance of being with sensei is slim, she would still try hard and do everything she could to make it possible.

Sakura stormed to her class. She tried her best to avoid and to ignore Sasuke during class. Whenever he looked her way, she would immediately huff and look out the window. A few hours later, the lunch bell rang. Some students sighed and stretched, happy to have a break.

Ino jumped out of her seat and walked to Sakura's side. "Lets eat lunch."

The pinkette smiled in return, "Yeah."

She turned her desk around to make room for the blonde. While she was moving, she noticed a quiet girl sitting near them. The girl had long purple hair and unique white eyes. She seemed like a gentle person who was too shy to speak to anyone.

"Hey, I'm Sakura, do you want to eat together?"

The girl looked at her timidly, "Can I?"

Ino pulled a chair over to the joined desk, "Sure, I'm Ino by the way."

The girl smiled softly, "I'm Hinata."

"We're from Konoha Junior High," Sakura said, "What about you, Hinata?"

Hinata twirled her fingers, "Um... I was home schooled. This is my first time attending a school."

Ino gasped, "Wow, that's pretty cool!"

"But I don't know anyone... and everybody seems to have friends who they grew up with."

Sakura smiled, "Well, now you know us! If you want, we can be friends!"

Ino laughed, "Forehead is a little bit crazy, but she is good company."

"Pig, I think the mentally unstable one is you."

A soft giggled escaped the purple hair girl, causing the pair to look at her. Hinata immediately blushed and held her hands up in a defensive position. "Sorry! I didn't mean to laugh!"

Sakura patted her shoulder, "It's fine, we bicker all the time."

"It seems wonderful to have nicknames!" Hinata said.

"Don't worry, you will get one someday," Ino grinned evilly.

"Hopefully it won't be like ours," Sakura added.

"Anyways, have you decided on what clubs to join yet?" Ino asked.

Hinata nodded her head, "My family owns a kendo dojo. I plan to join the kendo club."

Ino grinned, "Wow! I heard the team is pretty strong! Hiashi sensei is the coach, I think."

Hinata nodded, "He sometimes visit the dojo. He was the one who asked my parents to let me attend this school. What about you, Ino-san, Sakura-san?"

"Konoha academy has a flower arranging club, I plan to join that," Ino said, "My family owns a flower shop, after all."

"As for me, the archery club," Sakura supplied.

"Archery?"

Ino grinned at Hinata, "Sakura has been doing archery for a long time. She won a lot of competitions."

"That's amazing!"

Sakura blushed, "It's not a big deal!"

"I guess it isn't as big of a deal as knowing which teacher is in charge of the archery club," Ino whispered.

Sakura gave her best friend a suspicious glance. "She couldn't possible be talking about Uchiha sensei, right? I know that he won many competitions, but I'm not that lucky, right?"

Ino smirked, "U-chi-ha sensei!"

Sakura's face flamed. A surge of warmth tinted her cheeks and ears. It took all of her self control to not jump out of her chair and do a victory dance. "Pig, are you serious?!"

"Sakura-san," Hinata paused for a moment, "Do you like Uchiha sensei?"

"She says she loves him," Ino chirped.

Hinata blinked, "Sakura-san, did you fall in love at first sight?"

This caused the blonde to laugh, "Hinata, they met a long time ago."

"What do you mean?"

Since Sakura was still off in la la land, Ino explained, "Two years ago, Sakura had a fever but she went to school anyways. On her way back home, she fainted in the train. When she woke up, she found herself in a waiting room at one of the stations. The worker who was watching over her told her that a handsome, dark haired and dark eyed guy saved her. She said his name was Uchiha. Ever since that day, Sakura tried to look for him in the train. One day, we heard a guy call Uchiha sensei, 'Uchiha'. That was when Sakura started to fall in love."

Hinata looked at Sakura, who was reliving the memory. "Sakura-san, isn't it possible for your savior to be a different Uchiha-san?"

Ino shook her head, "Nah, the worker said he was handsome and he rode the same train. He must be the one."

Suddenly, the boy sitting in the chair next to Sakura stood up. His bangs covered his eyes, covering the raw emotion that lied there. A guy next to him asked, "Hey, Sasuke, what is wrong?"

"You were fine just now," another added.

Sakura discreetly looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Sasuke gets mad at the mention of Uchiha sensei's name. He must have heard Ino."

The blonde, however, wasn't concerned about his behavior at all. Instead, she teasingly whispered, "Gosh, did I speak too loudly?" and smirked as he stormed out of the room.

Ino had noticed how Sasuke kept staring at her friend. When Sakura told him that he was Uchiha sensei's little brother, she knew that something was up. Her guess was that Sasuke liked Sakura and was jealous of his brother. Ino laughed to herself, "My darling Sakura liked Uchiha sensei for so long, I won't give her to you that easily, Sasuke."

Sasuke walked to the edge of the corridor and leaned his back against the wall. Running a hand through his dark hair, he sighed. "I can't believe this."


	4. Chapter 4

**The One**

**IV: The situation in which she found her teachers playing shogi and he remembered their first meeting.**

The sky was a brilliant blue. White fluffy clouds flowed by without a care and a gentle breeze kept the temperature comfortable. It was a beautiful Saturday and all the students were out enjoying it. Unfortunately for the teachers, they had to come to school for a teachers' meeting. Principal Tsunade herself didn't want to be here, but it's a part of school regulations to have a teachers meeting before club day. She had to have a completed list of the clubs and their respective advisers.

Tsunade was on the verge of strangling Hatake and Might. Might wanted to advise too many clubs and Hatake wanted to quit being the adviser of the book club. The students who were in the club lied to him and said there would be Icha Icha discussion, but there weren't! However, once he accepted, he had to continue advising for the entire year.

Many of the teachers had already signed their respective names and clubs on the paper. Konan for flower arranging. Hiash for Kendo. Sarutobi for soccer. Yuhi for basketball. Umino for swimming. Akasuna for art. Uchiha for archery. Etc, etc. All of these teachers wanted to leave, but they couldn't adjourn the meeting until everyone was done. Some of the teachers were irritated at the rivals, but they were afraid that Might would give them a "youth" speech and prolong their stay. Others didn't want to receive Hatake's creepy eye stare.

Mitarashi, the purple haired sensei, decided that enough was enough. She was fearless and she proved it by smacking both Might and Hatake's heads. She forced a pen into Hatake's hand and glared him into signing his name next to book club. Then she growled until Might did ini meeni mani mo and signed his name next to judo club. Once that was done, she thrust the paper into Tsunade's face. The blonde grinned happily, "Meeting adjourned!"

The principal literally ran out of the room, with Mitarshi following behind. One by one, the teachers filed out, leaving the quiet Akasuna and Uchiha, who were reading a book as they waited. The brunette closed his book and stood up. He looked at the red head, who also shut his book. "Sasori-san, shogi?"

The shorter man nodded, "At the park?"

These two quiet teachers had formed a mutual friendship over book discussions and strategy game. Every so often, they would meet at the park and compare their shogi skills. Sometimes, they would even play chess or go. It was an odd friendship, but the pair had come to understand each other. Sasori knew that Itachi was a kind, doting older brother. Itachi knew that Sasori was a respectful, caring grandson. They understood that both of them had a soft heart, but didn't like to show it to strangers.

When they arrived at the park, Sasori searched for an empty table while Itachi went to a nearby convenience store and brought cans of tea. By the time the Uchiha returned, Sasori had already set up his personal shogi board and was waiting patiently. The score was currently ten to eleven, with the older Sasori leading. Itachi sat down across from his opponent and offered him the tea, "The loser will pay next time."

"Ah."

The pair soon became engrossed in the game, trying their best to keep a poker face while calculating the others' strategies. Sasori was about to move a piece when a childish voice suddenly cried out.

"Mom!"

The men turned to the source of the voice: a young boy with brown hair. He was running towards a brown haired woman who looked like she was in tears just a moment ago. The woman knelt on the ground and hugged the boy close to her body. "I was so worried!"

"A nice sister helped me!" the boy said as he pulled away from his mom and pointed at the figure behind him.

Sasori and Itachi followed the boy's finger with their eyes and found a familiar pinkette. She was walking toward the mother and son. Both man noted that two grocery bags, most likely very heavy, were hanging from her arms. The woman stood up and bowed at Sakura, saying something softly that the men couldn't hear. The pinkette shook her head, replied, looked down at the boy, and spoke once more. Both of them shared a few more words until the woman turned to leave with her son and Sakura waved goodbye.

Sakura sighed happily as she watched the boy skipped beside his mother. Earlier today, she was shopping at a nearby supermarket and was planning to head home right away, since her things were quiet heavy. However, when she saw the little boy wandering on the street and crying, she completely forgot about the heaviness weighing down her arms. He told her that he was playing in the park with his mom, but he ran off chasing a squirrel and ended up there. Since Sakura had bags in her hands, she made the boy promise to hold onto her jacket sleeve as they walked. He stayed true to his promise and held on tightly until they reached the park. "Thank goodness we found her so quickly," she thought.

"Haruno-san."

Sakura's heart jumped when she heard that voice. "It couldn't be…" She slowly turned around and saw the strangest sight. Akasuna sensei and Uchiha sensei were playing shogi on one of the park's tables. Somehow, the image didn't seem right. It was perfectly normal to see old men playing shogi in the park on a Saturday, but it was a rare sight to find two, young and very handsome, men playing said game… on the weekend, no less.

She ran over to the table and bowed, "Good afternoon, Uchiha sensei, Akasuna sensei!"

"That was very kind of you," Itachi said softly.

Sasori took note of her growing blush, "It's not much at all! Anyone would have done the same thing!"

The red head wanted to laugh. He knew one certain white haired tattoo artist and one dark haired banker who would laugh in the kid's face and scare him into crying some more. Sasori spoke up, catching her attention, "I'm certain that you're exceptionally kind, Haruno."

Sakura looked at him with a confused expression while Itachi asked, "What do you mean?"

Sasori smirked and Sakura realized that he looked much younger than he acted. "Do you recall the day that you were late to Hatake-san's class?"

Sakura could only recall one day that she was late, "I was late to English this Monday. How did Akasuna sensei know? Do our senseis like to gossip about us?"

Itachi was amused by her reply and he knew that Sasori was too. The red head's lip nearly twitched into a smile, "I believe that some senseis do enjoy gossiping, but I do not. I simply know that you were late because you were doing a kind deed."

"My grandmother works at Konoha Memorial Hospital and she told me about this incident that happened on Monday morning. She said a pink haired girl, dressed in my school's uniform, brought in an unconscious pregnant woman. All the staffs were surprised to see such a young girl carrying the woman bridal style. Thanks to the girl, the mother and child were safe, but my grandmother worried that the young girl might have been late to school. She asked me to help her erase the late mark on her attendance record, but there was no need, since her teacher was Hatake."

Itachi looked at Sakura with a brand new perspective. When he first found her in the second year's hallway, he thought that she was one of those girls who dreamed of a happy, romantic school life with an older boyfriend. It was obvious that his students were trying to flirt with her. "Perhaps I have misjudged her," Itachi thought.

Sakura laughed, "Yeah! I was very lucky! I got to class a minute before Hatake sensei."

Sasori almost smiled, "However, if you're ever late to my class. There will be no mercy."

"Akasuna sensei," Sakura pouted, "You aren't that mean, right?"

"I'm not soft like my grandmother."

The pinkette sighed. She really should head home soon, but she didn't want to leave at all. Although she had fun speaking with Akasuna sensei, she was more conscious of Uchiha sensei. "I don't want to waste this god sent chance! It's Saturday, yet I get to see Uchiha sensei! I want to stay here a bit longer," Sakura whined mentally as she tried to think of a reason to stay.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Sasori offered, "Haruno, do you like shogi? Would you like to watch?"

Sakura blinked in surprise and missed the amused gleam in the hazel orbs. "Can I?" she asked.

Sasori looked across the board, "I do not mind, Itachi-san?"

The Uchiha gave Sasori a questionable gaze, but decided that there was no harm in letting their student stay. "Please sit."

Sakura contemplated on which side of the table to sit on. She wanted to see next to Uchiha sensei very badly, but didn't want to be too obvious. Sasori gave her an amused grin, "Sit next to Uchiha, he needs all the help he can get."

Itachi narrowed his eyes, "Was that a challenge?"

"Who knows?" Sasori replied.

Sakura watched the exchange in curiosity and then sat down beside her beloved Uchiha sensei. After she took a quick look at the board, she smiled at Itachi, "Don't worry sensei, you will win this one."

"Of course we will." Sakura nearly fainted at the "we".

Half an hour later, Sasori was glaring holes into Itachi's offending knight piece. He couldn't believe that he didn't notice this old fashioned strategy until it was too late. In another three turns, he would lose. Lifting a hand, he sighed, "I lose this time. Drinks are on me next time."

Itachi smirked and turned to his partner in crime, "Thank you, Haruno-san. It was a clever strategy."

Sakura blushed, "Shikamaru is very good at shogi, he taught me."

Sasori and Itachi immediately thought of the boy who worn his hair like a pineapple. Neither of them had him as a student, but they heard from Iruka that he also entered the school with full marks. However, due to the ranking from junior high, Sakura, who also had full marks, was ranked below him. Both men had the sudden desire to challenge the first year student as soon as possible.

"This was fun," Sakura smiled, "Thank you for letting me join!"

Itachi nodded, "It was." He turned to Sasori, "You own her a drink too."

Sasori grumbled as he started clearing away the pieces, "Yeah, yeah."

"There is no need!" Sakura exclaimed as she helped the red head fold up the board.

"A deal is a deal," Sasori stated, "And by the way, Haruno, my grandmother said that the mother you helped wanted to thank you. Are you free tomorrow? She and the baby will be discharged tomorrow."

Sakura beamed, "Yes! Of course! I will go see her!"

Sasori nodded, "I will see you there tomorrow."

"Huh?"

"I visit my grandmother when I can," Sasori narrowed his eyes, "or do you not want my company?"

A slight shiver went down her spine. "Not at all, sensei!"

"Also," Itachi spoke up, "Haruno-san, please do not tell anyone about our shogi place."

Sasori nodded in agreement, "It would be a pain if Itachi-san's fan girls found us here."

Sakura suddenly remembered Sasuke's harsh words and felt a slight tremble in her heart. "I will prove that Sasuke wrong! I will get to know Uchiha sensei!" With that thought etched securely in her mind, Sakura promised, "Don't worry, senseis! I will not tell anyone!"

She nearly swooned when Itachi smiled, "This will be our little secret."

Sakura was already very happy that she now shared a secret with Uchiha sensei, so she almost jumped in joy when he offered to carry her things and walked her home. Itachi was a perfect gentleman and took all of Sakura's grocery's off her hands. While they walked, they talked about the new novels that came out during the summer. Sakura became giddy when she learned that he liked the same authors as her. When they arrived at her front yard, she felt slightly sad to see him go.

"This is my home," Sakura said, "Thank you for walking me back."

Itachi waited for Sakura to open the doors and then passed the bags back to her. "No problem. My old house is around here, I should see my little brother."

"Sasuke?" the name slipped out of her mouth and Sakura prayed that Uchiha sensei wouldn't question their relationship.

"Yes, he is in your class," Itachi nodded, "Are you friends?"

Sakura wasn't sure. "Are we friends?" she asked herself. She looked at the waiting Itachi, "Guess so?"

He smiled softly, "I see. I will be leaving now, see you at school."

Right before he left, Sakura finally built up the courage to ask, "Sensei! You will be the adviser for the archery club, right?!"

A small smirk formed on his handsome face, "Yes. I hope you will join and bring victory to our school like you did for Konoha Junior High."

Itachi wanted to laugh at the shocked expression on the girl's face. However, the surprise left as quickly as it came. "I'll try me best, sensei!"

The Uchiha's gentle smile lingered as he walked away. Haruno Sakura was different than he had imagined. She was intelligent, albeit a bit more mature than others her age. Yet, she was also very energetic, "youthful" as Gai say.

Itachi mused, "She grew up well." The first time that he saw her was four years ago. He was still in college and was a part of ANBU University's archery club. He was at a national competition when he first saw her.

The competitions were ordered by age groups, with the youngest going first. Itachi's would start at 5 pm, but he had arrived before his team because he wanted to see his little brother's competition. He knew that Sasuke put in a lot of effort to make it to the finals, but their parents were too occupied with work to come watch. When Sasuke found out that his parents wouldn't be cheering him on, he said it was better that way. However, being the loving brother he was, Itachi knew that Sasuke actually wanted someone to support him.

He sat down comfortably and noticed that the girls division were competing first. Five girls were kneeling side by side on the stage. A shocking pink caught his attention; the unique hair belonged to a green eyed girl. She seemed very confident as she waited for the competition to begin.

Time flew by and only two were left: a brunette and, to Itachi's surprise, the pinkette. Both archer were neck and neck and only one arrow was left. The brunette was the first to go. She slowly aligned the arrow and then sent it flying toward the targets. It pierced into the target, barely grazing the edge of the bull's eye. Itachi tensed. Unless the pinkette gets a bulls eye, she would lose. Usually, if one player did well and the other lost focus, the game was set. However, the pinkette's eyes continue to gleam with determination. Similar to her opponent, she prepared an arrow and shot it. The tense atmosphere lifted when her arrow slammed into the center with power.

The girl smiled victoriously and then turned to greet her opponent. Itachi clapped along with the audience as the girls walked off the stage and five boys entered to replace them. His little brother was among the five. Itachi wanted to call out and catch his attention, but he worried that his presence may put unnecessary pressure on the boy. He decided to watch the game silently.

Sasuke was confident, just like the pinkette, but his focus seemed to have wavered at the final arrow. His opponent's arrow nearly missed the target, but Sasuke wasted his chance at victory. His arrow didn't even hit the target, leaving him second place. Itachi could tell that his brother was upset, even though he placed second. After the audience clapped and the boys left he stage, Itachi stood up and went to look for him.


	5. Chapter 5

**XD, I went a little over board and just racked up chapters these few days. Anyways, please read and enjoy. I would love friendly reviews! Please tell me who you ship with Sakura more. It may influence the end pairing. Itasaku or Sasusaku?**

**The One**

**V: The situation in which she nearly worried him to death**

The sun was blazing hot in the sky but that didn't stop Might sensei's fiery spirit. Since the students will have a three day weekend, due to a national holiday, he had planned out a rigorous lesson for his physical education class. He wanted the students to do more exercise this Friday in order to make up for Monday's absence. Thus, he had commanded them to run five laps around the school and do various activities such as push ups and curl ups.

Many students were grumbling, while some were too beat to even whimper. Others had chosen to collapse into a heap on the boiling ground. A certain blonde was near tears as she ran her fourth lap. Ino's makeup was waterproof, so her sweat didn't smear anything. However, her long hair was causing her head to boil. She looked at Sakura, who was jogging at the same pace, next to her. She sworn there were flowers blooming around the girl's pink head.

"Why are you so happy?" Ino asked through ragged breath.

Sakura smiled, "It's a secret!"

Ino shot the pinkette a suspicious look, "Hmpf! It must be about Uchiha sensei!"

Sakura blushed furiously and Ino laughed out loud, well, as loud as she could with the little oxygen she had left. The pair continued to jog and talk, completely unaware of the dark haired boy closing in on them.

Sasuke saw the pink and blonde heads right when he turned the corner and sped up towards them. He picked up his pace until he was jogging next to them. Ino blinked in surprise while Sakura gasped. He smirked when Sakura asked, "Did you just lap us?"

"You two are slow," Sasuke replied.

"We're not slow!" Sakura growled. They really weren't; they lapped Hinata and a few others.

"You're just fast," Ino added, "Very fast."

Ino seemed very impressed at his athleticism. Sasuke prayed that Sakura was too. "See you two at the end," Sasuke said as he sped up again.

"Sasuke, wait up!" a brunette boy cried out as he dashed toward them. He was running beside the fast Uchiha since the start, but the boy suddenly sped up at the corner.

Sasuke slowed down at his new, self-proclaimed, sports buddy's voice. He turned just in time to see the brunette trip, roll over, and knock into the two girls behind him. It was almost comical, but Sasuke didn't find it funny. The brunette sat up and rubbed the back of head, whimpering. Ino also pushed herself into a sitting position. She looked at her chipped nail and hissed.

Ino grabbed the boy's shirt collar and screamed, "You!"

He cowered, "Sorry! Don't hurt me!"

She huffed and pushed him aside. "Sakura, you okay?" she asked as she looked behind the brunette.

Sakura was trying to push herself up from the ground, but a wince stopped her. Ino panicked and rushed toward her. Her blue eyes cringed at the sight of Sakura's bloody knee and elbow. "We have to get you to the infirmary!"

As soon as those words left Ino's lips, Sakura found herself being lifted into the air. She gasped when she saw Sasuke's eyes looking down at her. Apparently, he had decided to scoop her up and carry her bridal style. Ino stepped back in surprise. She guessed that Sasuke had a crush on her friend, but she didn't expect him to be this forward. The Uchiha glanced over at the other two, "Ino, Kiba, are you two okay?"

Kiba grinned sheepishly, "Just a few scratches, but I'm fine."

"I chipped my nail," Ino said, "But yeah, I'm fine too."

Sasuke nodded. "Go tell sensei that I'm taking Sakura to the infirmary." With that said, he turned swiftly and left with a shocked Sakura. The pair glanced at each other for a brief moment, sighed in harmony, and left to find their firey sensei.

Sakura wanted to curl herself into a ball. Everyone was staring at them as Sasuke walked. She didn't need to be carried and especially not like this. She could have limped to the infirmary with Ino's help. But no, Uchiha Sasuke decided to carry her like a princess. "This is so embarrassing," Sakura thought when she felt others' eyes on her.

"Can you put me down?" Sakura asked softly.

Sasuke ignored her and Sakura took that as a no. When they finally arrived at the infirmary, Sasuke set Sakura down gently on a chair. The school nurse, Shizune, was no where to be found like last time. Sasuke sighed, "Why have a school nurse when she is never here."

Sakura watched Sasuke walk around, gathering materials, "I heard some people threw up from Might sensei's work out and she is looking after them."

Sasuke vaguely recalled coming across a dark haired woman giving water to a few students. "They're just weak," he thought as he began disinfecting Sakura's wounds. She winced and bit down on her lip. Sasuke sighed, "Bear with it. You don't want it to be infected."

She blinked in curiosity.

"What?"

"Nothing," Sakura said softly, "I just thought you were going to call me stupid like last time."

"The stupid one is Kiba this time," Sasuke replied.

Sakura laughed, "Guess you're right."

Sasuke remained quiet as he finished cleaning the area and started applying gauze. He was angry that she got injured. "Kiba, you're going to get it…" Sasuke thought darkly.

"Thank you for carrying me," Sakura whispered, "Guess you're a pretty nice guy."

Sasuke paused for a second and looked deep into her green eyes, "Hn."

A sudden warmth rushed through Sakura's body and covered her cheeks in a blush. His ebony eyes looked away as he returned to bandaging her up and Sakura suddenly disliked the lost of eye contact. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the strange feelings, "What is this?!"

Sasuke hissed when she moved, causing her to still immediately.

"Sit tight like you did last time."

Sakura grumbled as he finished securing the bandage and helped her stand up. "Let's go."

When they went back to class, Kiba immediately apologized to Sakura. He offered to carry her things until her injuries healed, but Ino shooed him away. "You may drop her books on her feet or something stupid like that, so no!"

Sakura grinned, "You can apologize to both of us by taking Ino to a nail salon and fixing her nails."

"Eh?!" Kiba screamed as Ino smirked.

Two more classes later, school was over for the week. Sasuke had offered to walk Sakura home, much to Ino's amusement, but Sakura said that she had a girls' date with Ino. The blonde laughed in the Uchiha's face before running off with the pinkette. The two were currently walking along a shop filled street and talking about their plans for the long weekend.

"So," Sakura teased, "Going on a date with Kiba tomorrow?"

"Hey! I'm only getting my nail fixed and he is coming with me to pay for it," Ino huffed. "I only have Shika in my heart."

"Going for the jealous plan?" Sakura asked.

"Maybe," Ino replied, "I just want him to spend more time with me, you know? He always disappears and won't tell me what he did! Anyways, what about you? Didn't you say Naruto was coming?"

"Yeah, he is coming to visit me," Sakura smiled happily, "I haven't seen him since summer. I think he is coming back to Konoha next year."

"Oh no," Ino sighed, "My peace and quiet!"

Sakura laughed at the blonde's reaction as she thought of the other important blonde in her life. "Naruto may be loud, but he is my best friend. I can count on him for anything, just like how Ino can always count on Shikamaru and Chouji."

...

As Sakura stared at the mess in her bedroom, she questioned why she thinks of Naruto fondly. He did nothing other than causing chaos. He arrived on Friday night and today was Sunday. In the short span of two days, he had managed to mess up her entire room. His clothes and bed roll were scattered everywhere. Sakura simply didn't understand how it was even possible. They went out, all day, yesterday. When did he find time to wreck havoc? Did he do this in the middle of the night while she was sleeping?

Sakura urged to punch him but she held herself back, since she hadn't seen this lovable idiot in a long time. She sighed as she watched the blonde grab random articles of clothing and stuff them into his bag. He had to leave on the afternoon train if he wanted to be back in Suna by evening. Naruto grumbled as he tossed a single sock into his pack. Sakura huffed as she rolled up his bedroll, "I told you to pack last night,"

"Sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto apologized, "I had too much fun with you and was too tired!"

"You're never tired," Sakura growled as she man handled the sleeping bag and forced the fat roll into it.

Naruto laughed at Sakura's sarcasm as the two continued to pack and clean in peace. When the pinkette's room returned to its previous clean state, the blonde hugged her. "It's like I was never here!"

"It better be," Sakura said, "I found your lucky orange sock under my bed last time."

"Oh yeah," Naruto scratched his head, "Thanks for mailing it back to me."

"Are you two done?" a gentle voice asked as someone knocked on the closed door.

"Yeah," Sakura answered as Naruto opened the door, revealing a blonde woman with green eyes. She smiled at the pair and tossed a small bag at Naruto.

"Give my greetings to your parents, Naruto-kun," Sakura's mother said.

"Okay!" Naruto grinned.

The woman looked at the clock hanging on the wall and gasped, "It's already this late! You two have to hurry up!"

Naruto freaked when he saw the time and rushed out of the door. Sakura gave her mother a quick hug before running after him. The pair dashed to the train station as quickly as they could and arrived with a few minutes to spare. Naruto huffed as he sat down on one of the platform's benches and Sakura joined him.

"This is what you get for being so messy," Sakura sighed.

"You should see my room in Suna," Naruto laughed, "Without you around, my room is worse than ever!"

"How does Kushina-san deal with you?"

"She yells and dad has to stop her from bashing my head against the wall."

Sakura sighed in defeat. Kushina-san and Minato-san were both very neat people. She often wondered what went wrong with Naruto.

Soon, a whistle could be heard, signaling the arrival of the train. People on the platform waited patiently as the train came to a stop and the passenger aboard exited. Naruto and Sakura got up and walked toward Naruto's assigned cart. The blonde smiled sadly, "Until next time."

Sakura leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, "Don't be sad. I'll see you on Christmas."

"Alright," Naruto replied as he dipped his head down and pecked the pinkette's cheek.

"Be safe."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto grinned and stepped into the train. The pair waved to each other as the train began to move and Sakura waited until the train was out of sight before leaving. Stretching her arms over her head, Sakura walked off the platform.

"Maybe I should call the pig and ask how her 'date' went," Sakura mused as she strolled out of the station and began walking along the busy streets. She was about to take out her phone when something caught her eye.

A little girl was chasing after a balloon. It was obvious that the girl only had eyes for the floating object since she was running onto the crosswalk with a red light. Several screams could be heard when the people on the street saw a truck heading straight for the child. The girl stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the vehicle while the driver stepped on the brakes with all his might.

Without thinking, Sakura shot out onto the road. She wrapped her upper body around the little girl and pushed as hard as she could with her legs, rolling them both onto the side of the street. The truck skidded to a stop, a little pass the crosswalk. Luckily, all the cars behind the truck managed to stop and not collide into each other. Several people immediately called for help while a few ran to Sakura and the girl's side.

A certain dark haired boy watched in horror as the whole scene replayed in his mind over and over again. One moment, he was about to call out to the girl on the other side of the street and then in the next, he felt his heart stop when she ran onto the street. His fingers trembled as his unblinking eyes watched her roll and slam onto the street's pavement. He wanted to see if she was alright, but his legs couldn't move.

Sakura panted heavily, her heart thumping hard against her chest. She could feel tears flowing down the girl's face and drenching her t-shirt. Sakura released her death grip around the girl and patted the tear stained cheeks gently. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

The girl blinked and then nodded quickly, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Sakura sighed in relief and hugged the girl, "Thank goodness. Don't you ever do that again."

The girl continued nodding and sobbing in Sakura's embrace. "Big sister, I'm sorry!"

A man knelt down by their side, "Miss, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Sakura replied, "Can you hold her? I need to get up."

He nodded and lifted the girl into his arms. Sakura tried to get up, but a sudden rush of vertigo forced her back down. The man cried, "Miss, you're not alright!"

The little girl screamed, "Blood!"

That scream woke the boy from his terror. Sasuke pushed pass the crowd and stared at the pinkette lying on the ground. Red liquid was clearly dripping down her neck and staining her shirt. Her beautiful eyes were wavering from side to side, threatening to close. The man next to him yelled at someone to call an ambulance as Sasuke knelt down. He touched Sakura's flushed cheeks with shaking hands.

"Sa…Sasuke?" was all she said before she fell into a world of darkness.

…

Sakura felt a sharp pain at the side of her head as she slowly woke up. A wave of dizziness shook her and she groaned, alerting the three figures in the room. Emerald eyes struggled to open but Sakura forced them open with pure stubbornness. She blinked twice before everything came to focus. A woman in a nurse's uniform smiled at her, "Please relax, Haruno-chan. I'll get the doctor."

Sakura nodded and then tried to sit up. A warm pair of hands immediately forced her back down and tucked her up against the pillow. Sakura gasped at the red head, "Akasuna sensei?"

"I take back my words, Haruno. You are not exceptionally kind. You are foolishly kind," he stated calmly, hiding his relief.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, "What happened… Where is the girl?! Is she okay?!"

Sasori sighed, "She is fine. You protected her from the fall so she only got a few scratches. Her father came for her. He lost her when she ran off, chasing a balloon. He left his number and wants you to contact him when you're well."

"That's good," Sakura sighed in relief.

"This is not good," Sasori's eyes narrowed, "Do you know how much you worried us?"

"Sorry... Wait, us?"

Sasori sighed and looked to the other side of the room. Sakura turned her head and gasped when she saw the dark haired boy staring at her with expressionless eyes. "Sasuke?" she whispered softly.

A light drifted pass his eyes as he walked toward her slowly. She noticed that his hands were trembling and suddenly felt very guilty. "So I didn't imagine it. He was there."

"Thanks," Sakura whispered softly.

"Thanks?" Sasuke's eyes twitched as life came back into them, "I thought you were going to die."

"Well, I didn't, so it's fine, right?" Sakura tried to joke and lighten up the mood, similar to what Naruto did when he broke both of his legs when they were young.

Sasuke snapped when he saw the carefree smile on her lips. "First, you go hit a tree and hurt your hand. Then, you fell and got a bloody knee and elbow…"

"But that…" Sakura tried to argue that it was Kiba's fault and not her own stupidity.

"I'm not finished," Sasuke glared, "This time, you go save a little girl from a moving truck and hit your head! What do you plan to do next? Huh?! Tell me! So I can call the hospital and ask them to prepare an ambulance ahead of time!"

Sakura had never seen the cool and collected Sasuke act like this, "I'm sorry."

Sasori looked at the two silently. He reached out and patted Sasuke's shoulder, "Uchiha, that's enough. She is still a patient. I will take care of things here, please go home."

"I will stay," Sasuke bit out.

"No," Sasori returned Sasuke's glare with ten time more force, "You will go. If you stay, you will only stress her out."

Sakura watched the exchange worriedly. For some weird reason, she wasn't angry at Sasuke for yelling for her. Instead, she felt guilty for worrying him. If he snapped like that, it must be because he cared about her. "Sorry Sasuke, I caused a lot of trouble for you. You should go home and rest."

The boy turned his attention toward her, "… I put my number in your phone. Call me if anything goes wrong."

She nodded slowly and he walked out. Sasori stared at her, "Feeling guilty?"

Sakura murmured, "Yeah."

"You should," Sasori replied as he walked to her side, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and then pulled her head against his chest, "He was nearly in tears when he arrived."

"I am sorry to you too," Sakura whispered softly.

"You better be. I didn't like to see you so lifeless and dripping blood everywhere."

"Sorry, Akasuna-sensei."

Sasori patted her hair gently, "Think before you act, Sakura."

…

Sasuke was confused. He just went through more emotion in a few hours than he had ever felt in his entire life. First, he was happy, then terrified, then even more terrified, then relieved, then anger, and now guilt. "I shouldn't have yelled at her like that, and that second time really wasn't her fault. Why did I have to like someone who is too kind for her own good." He could feel his hands trembling, "I shouldn't have let her get hurt. How can I tell her I like her if I can't even protect her?"

The boy sighed as he walked into this living room. His mind was so occupied that he didn't notice the figure watching him from the open kitchen. The man standing there nearly dropped his tea cup when he saw his little brother enter the room with a blood stained shirt. The red blood was drying and turning brown, but the strong scent of iron invaded the air. He set the cup down with a loud pang, catching the boy's attention.

"Brother?"

"Sasuke, why are you covered in blood?"

Sasuke didn't want to tell Itachi what happened since he knew Sakura liked him. One reason that he liked Sakura was because of her immense heart and caring spirit. He feared that his brother may fall for her for the same reason. Yet, he felt like he would be cheating if he didn't tell his brother the truth. "It's not mine."

Itachi visibly relaxed, "What happened?"

"It's Sakura's," Sasuke stated and felt his heart hurt when his brother immediately tensed.

"Is she alright?" Itachi's mind was racing as he imagined the cheerful girl covered in blood.

Sasuke nodded, "She is at the hospital with Akasuna-sensei."

"Sasori-san?" Itachi's posture was still stiff, "What happened?"

Sasuke turned away, "She saved this girl that ran onto the road. She didn't get hit by the truck, but she hit her head against the pavement."

"I see," Itachi said calmly while he thought, "That is just like Haruno-san."

"Yeah," Sasuke replied tiredly as he walked past his brother. He stopped in the corridor and glanced at his brother from the corner of his eyes.

The older Uchiha picked up their home phone and dialed, "Sasori-san? This is…"

Sasuke turned away, thinking, "I will win, fair and square."

**What is this? Sakura feeling guilty for worrying Sasuke? Itachi worrying over Sakura?**

**I really like Sasori and ships him with Sakura (heck, I ship almost everyone with Sakura), but I am going for more of an older, cool brother thing with this story. Sasori watches out for Sakura.**

**So far, Ino and Sasori are Itasaku shippers while Shisui is a Sasusaku shipper. This may change... your review will help! I'll probably make a chart of shippers at the end of each chapter!**


	6. Side Story

**This is not really a chapter, it's more of a side story. Sasuke seems a bit odd, but this is AU. Plus, I think he would be very different if the Uchiha Massacre didn't happen.v But enjoy, anyways!**

**The One Side Story**

**The situation in which he remembered their first meeting.**

Uchiha Sasuke had an older brother named Uchiha Itachi. They were the sons of a wealthy business man named Uchiha Fugaku, who worked for their uncle, Uchiha Madara. Madara was a successful tycoon that had companies inside and outside of their home country. Their beautiful mother, Uchiha Mikoto,came from Madara's side of the family and used be a popular model.

Sasuke had a good life. Good looks, intelligence, athleticism, wealth, etc. However, he wasn't happy. He hated how people always compared him to his wonderful brother.

When he was young, he loved his brother like mad. Even though Itachi was always busy and didn't have time for him, Sasuke still asked him to play. As Sasuke got older, he began following Itachi everywhere and doing the same things that he did. Sasuke liked being similar to his brother.

However, things began to change when he attended junior high and Itachi went to college. He began to feel useless and disposable, in comparison to his beloved brother.

Adults always whispered Itachi's name. They spoke of his victories in archery and other competitions. They admired his intelligence and talk of his full ride to Konoha's top ANBU university. They expected great things from him.

People from school cried Itachi's name. They asked about his relationships. They dreamed of his handsome face and fell for his talents. They often demanded that Sasuke bring their offerings to the older Uchiha.

Sasuke hated all these people. Everything was about Itachi. Even his parents were the same. They saw Itachi win his first archery competition, but they didn't have time for him. Perhaps they didn't want to be shamed by Sasuke's possible lost.

It was his first archery competition in junior high. Sasuke had won the preliminaries and was entering the finals for his school. He was deeply upset when Itachi told him that their parents would not be cheering for him. He had lied and said it was fine, but in truth, he didn't like it one bit. He felt like his parents didn't believe in him.

During the match, Sasuke tried his best to focus, but images of his perfect brother kept crowding his mind. He could have taken the victory, but he lost his concentration in the end. His arrow didn't hit the target and he was second place.

The teacher who accompanied him to the competition praised him for getting second, but it wasn't enough for Sasuke. Being second was nothing in comparison to his brother who never lost. He told his teacher that he needed a break and went to the back of the arena.

He held his bow with a death grip as tears threatened to fall out of his eyes. "There is no point if I didn't win. If it was Itachi, he would have won it easily."

"I should just stop trying, I will never beat Itachi in anything." Sasuke was about to snap his bow in two, but a sweet voice stopped him.

He turned and saw a pretty pink haired girl walking toward him. "She won the girl's division..." Sasuke looked away from her, "Go away, leave me alone."

"Don't give up so easily," she said loudly.

Sasuke glared at her. That was easy for someone who just won to say.

Suddenly, she pulled the bow out of his hands and grabbed his hands. She set his bow down gently and pulled out bandages from her bag. She gently covered all the cuts and wilts on his palms with the bandages.

"You've worked so hard to get here. You may be second place today, but if you keep trying, you will win one day."

Sasuke looked at her with a questionable gaze. "..."

She smiled as she put the bow back into his hands.

"Hey, do you know who Uchiha Itachi is?"

"He is a very good archer that won first place last year, why?" she answered casually.

"Don't you think he is cool?" Sasuke asked softly.

"He is," She smiled, "But you will be cool too if you don't give up!"

That was their first meeting. Sasuke later learned her name when he saw the award ceremony. He was quite disappointed when he found out that she attended a different school.

However, luck was on his side. He found out that they boarded the train at the same station. He caught himself looking at her many times but never brought himself to talk to her. She was always with a blonde boy. He hoped that they were only friends. When the boy disappeared one day, his hope of being with her grew.

Just like that, trances of her filled his mind and heart. She was always there and her words echoed in his mind.

On the first day of high school, he thought a miracle happened. Standing in front of his new school was the pink haired girl who plagued his mind. His heart raced as he tried to think of something to say to her.

"Are you stupid?" slipped out of his mouth and he chastised himself for being the stupid one.

The girl only glared at him as he walked away. Sasuke smirked to himself,"It's fine that you don't remember me... As long as you are still in my heart."

**To clear things up... I think you can all figure out that the blonde boy is Naruto. Basically, he and Sakura are childhood friends but he transferred to Suna during the last year of Junior High, due to his parents' work.**

**Sasusaku shipper: inu pink15 **

**Itasaku shipper: M00NBunnie K **

**Ah, it's neck and neck!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Here is another chapter, please enjoy!**

**The One**

**XI: The situation in which he kisses her and she is confused.**

"Oh my!" Mebuki gasped as she opened her front door.

A handsome stranger was standing right in front of her. He had messy red hair and round brown eyes. His face was doll like, making him appear very young. Mebuki decided that he was either tall for his age or simply had a baby face. She decided it was the latter after he spoke.

"Good evening, Haruno san," he bowed, "I am here to see Sakura."

Mebuki smiled happily, "My, my. Are you Akasuna sensei?"

Sasori paused. He wondered if Sakura talked about him at home. "Yes, I am."

"Thank you for helping my daughter at the hospital. I was nearly scared to death when I got the phone call. Sakura worries me so much!" She stepped back, "Please come inside."

Sasori walked in and took off his shoes, "You're welcome. Sakura is very kind. What she did was dangerous, but she did save the child's life."

Mebuki nodded in agreement, "My silly girl is upstairs in her room. She will be very happy to know that one of her favorite teachers came to visit. I'll prepare some tea."

"It is alright, I will not be staying long," Sasori replied as he followed the woman up the staircase.

He mused when he saw a flowery "Sakura" sign hanging outside of a white door. It was obvious who this room belonged to. Mebuki knocked on the white wood and called, "Sakura! Your sensei is here to visit you!"

The blonde pushed the door open and Sasori walked in. The room was slightly different than what he had imagined. Her walls were yellow instead of pink. Her bed and other furniture were white and speckle free. Nothing was on the floor. It was almost as spotless as his own.

Sakura was sitting in her bed when Sasori entered. She smiled warmly, "Akasuna sensei!". The man nodded and Mebuki quietly left the room.

The pinkette pointed at her chair, "Please sit, sensei. What brings you here?"

Sasori pulled the chair to her bed side, "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Fine, but I'm really bored though." Sakura had gotten a laceration and a light concussion from the impact with the ground. The doctors scanned her brain and said that it was nothing serious, but she had to stay home for three days and basically don't use her brain more than necessary.

When Ino found out about her accident, she banned the girl from using her cellphone and laptop and reading any books. Thus, Sakura wad forced to simply sitting and sleeping. Ino wouldn't even let her think more than necessary. However, Sakura was the type who loved learning new things. Not thinking had bored her to tears.

"It is the consequence of your actions, but I'm glad that you are recovering."

Sakura sighed, "Sensei, I am sorry."

Sasori raised an eyebrow, "I already forgave you."

Sakura became quiet, causing Sasori to continue, "Have you talked with him yet?"

"No."

"Ah..."

"I shouldn't be using my brain too much. I will think of an apology later."

Sasori smirked when the doorbell rung, "I think you need that apology soon."

Tilting her head in curiosity, Sakura asked, "What do you mean?"

Just then, both of them heard Mebuki's cheerful voice, "Sakura, another friend is here to see you!"

Sasori got up from the chair, patted Sakura's head, and then walked toward the door. He opened it just in time to see a certain dark haired boy raising his hand to knock. Twin ebony eyes widen in surprise at finding the quiet sensei in the pinkette's room.

"See you in class, Uchiha," Sasori said softly, "And you as well, Sakura."

Sasuke continued to stare in surprise as the mysterious sensei exited the room. He didn't expect the red haired man to visit Sakura. For a short moment, he felt a spur of jealously at how Akasuna sensei addressed the girl. He called her by her name, without any suffix.

"Sasuke?" Sakura's sweet voice jolted him.

He sat down in the previously occupied chair, "How are you feeling?"

"Bored, but much better. I can go back to school tomorrow."

Sasuke nodded, "That's good."

A moment of silence passed between them before both spoke up at the same time.

"Sakura, I-"

"Sasuke, sor-"

The boy lifted his hand, stopping the girl. "Don't say it. I should apologize for lashing out at you. You only did what you thought was right."

"But I-"

"It's fine."

"Alright..."

Another tense moment passed before Sasuke pulled out a notebook in his bag. He handed it to her and Sakura looked at it with curiosity. Sasuke rested his hands against his knees, "These are the notes that you missed."

She flipped the book open and gasped, "Wow. Your writing is so neat!"

In truth, Sasuke's hand writing wasn't the best, but he had put in a lot of effort to take clean notes. It was his own way of redeeming himself.

"Thank you," Sakura smiled, making his heart race.

Sasuke looked away as he contemplated on how to tell her his feelings. This was the first time in his life that he didn't voluntarily choose to be quiet. He knew what he wanted to say but couldn't find the right words. He feared that he may say something offensive like he did on the first day of school. Sasuke prayed that nothing similar would come out of his mouth this time.

"Sakura…"

A loud ringing tune cut off the boy's words. If Sasuke was anyone else, he would have screamed and threw something at the phone that ruined his moment. But being the cool and collected Uchiha he was, he said, "You should get that."

"… I wonder what Sasuke was going to say…" The pinkette shook her head, "It's fine, my mom probably got it."

"Oh," Sasuke suddenly remembered, "Your mother said that she will be going out to get something."

The phone rang again, causing Sakura to grab the land line phone on her nightstand. Sasuke wanted to curse whoever was on the line as Sakura held the phone up to her ear. His eyes narrowed when she saw a gentle smile appear on her lips.

"Naruto!" she chirped.

Sasuke grunted silently at hearing a boy's name.

"Slow down," she giggled, "I am fine! I am going back to school tomorrow!"

He clutched his fingers.

"Yeah, you're right, but it's totally fine! It's not as bad as that time with your broken legs."

For some reason, Sasuke knew it was the blonde stranger on the other side of the line. Perhaps it was because of her smile. It was the perfect copy of the one that she had, when he first saw her with the blonde boy at the station. It irritated him. It made him wonder if he was her boyfriend or something.

"Okay, okay. I will be more careful! See you at Christmas, love you," Sakura said and hung up.

She turned back to Sasuke, "You were saying?"

An irrational anger came over the Uchiha and his eyes glinted red, "How many faces do you have?"

"Huh?" Sakura was surprised by the sudden change in atmosphere.

"I thought you liked my brother," Sasuke bit out, "But you're actually seeing another guy? How many people are you after? Is Akasuna sensei one of your playthings, too?"

Sakura blinked, "What are you talking about?"

"That was your boyfriend on the line, right?" Sasuke hissed.

"What? No, you see-" Sakura tried to explain but Sasuke stopped her.

He grabbed her shoulders, pulled her closer to himself, and then smacked his lips against hers. He pressed their bodies closer together, caging her arms. Sakura gasped and Sasuke took the chance to take control of her mouth. She struggled against him but her arms were useless. She tried to tilt her head back but he followed.

After a short moment that felt like hours to them both, Sasuke finally pulled back. He was startled when he saw tears brimming the pinkette's eyes. Sakura quickly lifted her hands to wipe her eyes and lips. Her face was burning and her heart was beating furiously. Sasuke reached out but she jerked back immediately. Ignoring her reluctance, Sasuke grabbed her shoulders again and hugged her tightly.

"I am sorry for that," Sasuke whispered, "But I like you. I like you, Haruno Sakura. Choose me."

Sakura froze.

"I don't care if you have a boyfriend, choose me," Sasuke muttered.

"I… " she pushed and he let her out of his arms, "I don't have a boyfriend. I won't like anyone else if I do have one. I don't play with people's feelings like you!"

It was Sasuke's turn to freeze. "What?"

"You…" Sakura had started crying again. "I like Uchiha sensei and I only liked him! But then you came along and messed everything up! I felt my heart skip when you tend to my injuries. I felt relieved when I saw you before I fainted. I felt guilty when I saw how worried I made you. I felt like crying when you yelled at me! Even just now, when you walked in my room, I was… I was…"

Sasuke attempted to press his lips against hers again, but stopped. Instead, he pecked her forehead lightly, "I'm sorry for misunderstanding… And as for my brother. I know you liked him."

Sakura's eyes widen.

"But even so," Sasuke took in a deep breath, "I still want you to choose me."

Sakura didn't reply but Sasuke didn't expect her to. He exited the room and closed the door gently. When he got downstairs, he noticed that Sakura's mother wouldn't be back for awhile. However, Sakura lived in a nice neighborhood and there was a dog in the yard next door. Deciding that it was safe to leave the front door unlocked, Sasuke left the Haruno's house without looking back.

Sakura was still frozen in place. Her mind was replaying Sasuke's confession over and over again. It was true that her heart had been racing when Sasuke was nearby and she was touched by how he cared for her. However, she had liked Uchiha Sensei for two years now and those feelings are strong. After she got to know him a little better recently, she realized that her feelings were genuine. She truly liked Uchiha sensei, regardless of what Sasuke had said. Sakura gripped her blanket tightly, "I…"

Suddenly, another phone call caught her attention. She scrambled to grab the phone and managed to say a weak greeting. The person on the other side didn't seem to notice.

"Hey, forehead!" Ino shouted, "How are you?"

Sakura took in a long breath and replied, "Bored."

"Well, be bored no longer! I'll give you back your phone tomorrow!"

"Thanks Ino," Sakura smiled at her friend's energetic voice, "So what's up?"

"What do you mean by what's up?" Ino's voice squeaked and Sakura knew she was hiding something.

"You wouldn't call me just to tell me you will give me back my phone. What happened?"

"Darn your smartness!" Ino grumbled. "It's something wonderful!"

Sakura hated how Ino loved to tease her. "Just spit it out, pig."

"Call me your best, beautiful friend, and then I'll tell you!"

"My best, beautiful friend, please tell me."

"Ooo, you added please! Okay, I'll tell you! Just now, Uchiha sensei came to our classroom! He asked me how you were doing and told me to give you his greetings. He said he was very worried when Sasuke told him about the accident and he wants you to take care of yourself better."

Sakura nearly dropped the phone, "Really?"

"Yes! Why would I lie? I've been supporting your Uchiha chase since that incident on the train!"

Sakura's heart fluttered as she remembered how happy she was when she found Uchiha sensei on the train, "Thanks Ino."

"No problem! This is your chance to go speak with him!"

Sakura stared at the door that Sasuke had just stepped through a moment ago, "Yeah, you're right."

**Okay... so, Sasuke was a bit forceful and he snapped for the second time. However, I felt like it worked with the situation. With a brother like Itachi, it is only normal for him to be insecure at times. And he saw how close Sasori and Sakura were... Plus, Naruto and Sakura are close and say things like "I love you" to each other really easily because they grew up together. Thus, Sasuke, who is insecure and not as open with emotions as Sakura and Naruto, snapped.**

**Anways, to the score board!**

**Sasusaku: lovelysweetbunny**

**Undecided: SorrowoftheHeart**

**hmm...**


	8. Chapter 7

**Alrighty! Here is another chappie****!**

**The One**

**VII: The situation in which he lost but she had a change of heart.**

Sasuke groaned as he rested his head against his desk. He still couldn't believe what he did yesterday. One moment, he was too shy to confess, but in the next, he was bold enough to kiss her. He rubbed his head furiously, "I am so stupid! When did I become so stupid?!"

Watching him from across the room were Ino and Sakura. Ino, who heard about the whole incident earlier this morning, laughed quietly, "Looks like he is regretting."

Sakura didn't reply. She only watched the Uchiha silently.

"Why don't you go over there and end his misery?" Ino nudged Sakura with her elbow, "Or in this case… make him even more miserable."

The pinkette glared at her best friend and then sighed. She knew that she had to reply to Sasuke sooner and later; she couldn't run away from the situation forever. Sasuke had been patient and gentleman enough to leave her alone after greeting her morning. He refrained from staring at her all morning and it was obvious that he was anxious about her reply. Deciding that she should get this over with, she walked toward him.

"Sasuke?" Said boy snapped his head up at the voice.

Sakura was standing next to his desk with an odd expression on her face. She tugged on a strand of loose hair nervously, "Um, Sasuke, can I talk to you outside?"

The Uchiha jerked up from his chair, surprising the students around them. Ignoring all the stares that they were receiving from the class, Sasuke followed Sakura out into the hall. After they were gone, someone whispered, "I saw Uchiha-kun carry Sakura to the infirmary. They look very cute together."

Another replied, "That's nothing! A senpai said that Sasuke was the one who took Haruno to the hospital after her accident."

Ino shook her head as she watched the class chatter, "Too bad Sakura is still heads over heel for Uchiha sensei."

Sakura walked swiftly to the end of the hall, where no one else was. She looked down at her toes and was unaware of the hopeful gleam that crossed Sasuke's dark eyes. Sakura tightened her fist. She made her resolve yesterday and would stick to it, "Sasuke, I'm sorry."

The Uchiha's heart dropped to the pits of his stomach. He should have known what she was going to say by the pained look on her face. Yet, he was too blind to notice.

"I've liked Uchiha sensei ever since he helped me out on the train. I've liked him for a long time and…" Sakura explained, "I got to know him better these few weeks and I realized that I really do like him."

She still didn't meet his eyes. Sasuke sighed, "What if someone else helped you out on that day?"

Sakura blinked owlishly. That thought had never came across her before. She tightened her fist, "Even so, I still like sensei. I told you, I got to know him better and…"

"Sakura." The pinkette stopped babbling at the brunette's serious tone.

Their eyes made contact as Sasuke declared, "During archery club later, I will challenge my brother. If I beat him, go out on a date with me."

"What?"

"I want you to know me better," Sasuke stated boldly, "and then choose."

"But-"

"And if I lose," Sasuke continued, "I'll do anything you want. If you want me to leave you alone, I'll do it without complaint."

Sakura blinked, "Hey, wait a minute!"

"I'll see you after school," Sasuke turned around and walked away, leaving Sakura to stare at his back.

"What a bold declaration," a velvety voice whispered against Sakura's ear. She jumped in surprise. Akasuna sensei was standing right behind her, wearing an amused smirk on his face.

"Akasuna sensei! You scared me!"

The man stepped back, "Did you do something bad, Haruno?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes, "The only bad thing I will be doing is crushing you at shogi."

"We'll see."

...

After lunch was over, the rest of class flew by quickly. When the school bell rung, signaling the end of the day, students started chattering and packing up. Uchiha Sasuke had dashed out of the room immediately, rushing to challenge his brother to a match. Ino quirked her eyebrow at his odd behavior and looked at her best friend, who was almost done with putting her things away.

"What happened?" Ino asked, "He doesn't seem as dejected as I thought he would be."

Sakura sighed, "He said he will challenge Uchiha sensei to a match. If he wins, I have to go on a date with him."

Ino gasped, "Then why are we still here?! Hurry up, let's go watch it!" Before Sakura could register Ino's words, the blonde had already plucked her out of her seat and dragged her out of the room.

Itachi looked at brother's determined face curiously, "A match?"

"Yes, right now," Sasuke replied.

The older brother ran his eyes over his little brother's form and observed his body language. Sasuke seemed tense, but confident. He wondered if something happened. Sasuke had never did archery with him; not even a friendly match. Now, he ran all the way from class just to challenge him? Something was up, but Itachi wasn't one to question his little brother's motives.

"Alright," Itachi smiled.

Ino pulled Sakura all the way to the archery club, where a group of spectators had already gathered. Apparently, many club members heard Sasuke challenging their adviser and were eager to see a match between brothers. They were all sitting in the back, observing the two Uchihas. They were both dressed in the traditional robes and holding their respective bows.

Itachi glanced at the people behind them, "What a large crowd."

"Don't get distracted," Sasuke bit out, "Don't go easy on me."

Itachi was slightly surprised by the boy's seriousness, "I understand."

The crowd watching was awed by both Uchiha's skills. Each arrow that flew were able to hit the target. The brothers were neck and neck, causing the crowd to cheer. Some were screaming, "sensei!" while others were shouting, "Sasuke!"

They were down to their last arrow and victory had yet to be decided.

Ino nudged Sakura, "Hey, aren't you suppose to be cheering?"

Sakura's eyes wavered for a second as she watched Ino called out, "Uchiha sensei!"

The pinkette took in a deep breath and followed, "Uchiha sensei! Do your best!"

It was the right voice, but the wrong name. Sasuke's concentration was shattered at that instance. His hand slipped and his arrow flew right over the target, missing it completely. Noticing his sudden change, Itachi asked, "Are you alright, Sasuke?"

The boy looked away, "Don't lose focus. You said you won't go easy on me."

Itachi nodded and released his arrow and it pierced through the bulls' eye, bringing him victory. He lowered his arms and looked at his little brother with a worried gaze. Sasuke didn't meet his eyes, "I lost."

"Did something happen?" Itachi asked in a concerned tone.

Sasuke shook his head and walked away from the shooting area. The crowd immediately rushed to Uchiha sensei's side, praising him and asking him to help improve their skills. Only Ino and Sakura remained in the back. Ino poked Sakura's side softly, "I leave the rest to you!" and ran away from the club room.

Sakura wanted to throw something at Ino's betrayal but Sasuke's gloomy voice stopped her. While everyone else was crowding around Uchiha sensei, he had walked over to her side silently. His eyes were cold and sad; a sudden pain stabbed at her chest. She figured that it was her fault that he lost.

Sasuke whispered in an almost broken voice, "I will leave you alone from now on."

He was about to brush pass her but something stopped him. He turned around and saw Sakura gripping onto his robe tightly. He couldn't see her expression since her long hair covered her face, "That's not what I want."

She turned and he was surprised by the bright gleam in her emerald eyes. A small blush slowly covered her cheeks, "I… uh… I want you to take me out on a date this Saturday."

Sasuke froze, uncertain of his hearing. He continued to stare at her incredulously, causing her to fidget.

"Did you hear me?" Sakura grumbled, "Or do you don't keep promises?"

As Sakura's words repeated themselves over and over in his mind, his heart began to race. He could feel heat crawling up his neck and prayed that she couldn't see the red tips of his ears. A genuine smile appeared on his face. "A date?"

Sakura huffed, "Yeah."

Sasuke restrained himself from jumping like a puppy and nodded, "Alright, I'll pick you up at your house at noon." He would have liked to start their date earlier but he was roped into helping out at the church that Shisui's new girlfriend attended. If he backed out, Shisui would must likely annoy him to death. He hoped that Sakura didn't mind and judging by the warm smile on her face, she didn't.

"Okay."

A pair of jealous eyes watched them from across the room. These eyes belonged to a first year student, Zaku. He had liked a girl ever since Junior High and followed her to Konoha Academy. He confessed to her during the entrance ceremony but she shot him down without batting an eyelash. She told him that she was not interested because she liked Uchiha Sasuke. Heck, many girls were interested in the young Uchiha during the ceremony. However, after they all took a glance at the older Uchiha, many of them changed ships. But Zaku was not aware of this; he still hated Uchiha Sasuke for 'stealing' his precious Kin.

Zaku grinned evilly, "I will get you back."

…

It was Friday afternoon, class had ended and all after school clubs would conclude in a few minutes. Zaku had snuck off early and stealthily entered the dressing room. He double checked to see if anyone had also snuck away early. After he made sure that there would be no witnesses, he went to Uchiha Sasuke's locker. Quietly, he opened it and pulled out the Uchiha's cellphone. He had been watching the Uchiha for the past week and secretly learned his password. He unlocked it and found the recent contact list.

He quickly typed, "Change of plans. I will meet you at Konoha Memorial Park at 11," and then sent it to Haruno Sakura. Immediately, he deleted the sent history. He laughed as he ran to the bathrooms and dunked the black phone under cold, freezing water. After making sure the screen was black and the phone wouldn't turn on, he snuck it back into the Uchiha's locker. "This is what you get, you poser. Now you'll know what it's like to be dumped."

…

Sakura didn't attend club activities that day. Instead, she was at a dentist appointment that she didn't even know she had. As soon as school was over, her mother had called her, told her about it, and then promptly picked her up at Konoha Academy's front gates. Thankfully, all her teeth were fine and the dentist let her go rather quickly. All she had to do was sit patiently and open wide as the dentist cleaned her teeth.

She sighed as she entered her house. She wanted to see Sasuke at club today. Even though she still harbored feelings for Uchiha sensei, she had decided to give Sasuke a chance. She knew what it was like to have affections for someone, so she couldn't deny her growing feelings for Sasuke. Maybe she would forget about sensei and then be able to love Sasuke whole heartedly.

Sakura flipped opened her Nokia and noticed the "new message" icon. "Hmm, I must have gotten it while I was at the dentist."

She clicked it open and read Sasuke's message. She smiled softly when she noticed that he sent it after club activities. "Guess he wanted to spend more time with me," Sakura mused as she closed the message and plugged the phone in to charge.

Sasuke sighed as he rolled over in his bed. He really didn't want to go to Shisui's girlfriend's church tomorrow; that man thought of himself as cool, but Sasuke saw him as a poodle. He just loved to please the ladies. Sasuke grumbled as he picked up his cellphone, hoping to call Sakura. However, when he clicked on it, the screen was black.

"What? I charged it as soon as I got home." He ran into the guest room that Shisui had claimed and grabbed the man's spare charger. He plugged in his phone, but nothing happened. Sasuke walked back to his room, hoping to find his old phone. After searching for a while, he remembered he gave it to Kiba. Sasuke was angry and feeling stupid for cutting off the land line phone. "Oh well, I'll see her tomorrow. I can buy the same model as her…" his lips curve into a smile as he flopped back onto his bed.

Sakura rose bright and early the next morning. She had set out her clothes the night before so she wouldn't have to rush. She put on a cute red blouse and a nice short skirt. She applied a little bit of water proof eyeliner and mascara and then brushed her long pink hair. When she was all done, she skipped down the stairs and made herself a small bowl of cereal.

Mebuki raised an eyebrow, "You look cuter than normal. What's the occasion?"

"I'm going out today," Sakura beamed, "I'll call you later."

The blonde woman watched her daughter curiously. Sakura was a teenager, but she knew what she was doing. "Call if you're coming home late."

"I will!" Sakura planted a kiss on her mom's face and left.

**Ooo, what is going to happen now?**

**Sasusaku: Rinoagirl89**

**Itasaku: ...**

**I personally ship Itasaku more... but who knows? I've been leaning toward Narusaku recently. OH well!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Wow, this chappie was longer than the others! Anyways, this one leans toward Itasaku. Enjoy!**

**The One**

**VIII: The situation in which they have a misunderstanding.**

Sakura patted her skirt, clearing away imagined dust. She looked at her phone: 11 o'clock sharp, she was right on time. Sakura glanced around her, "Wonder why he suddenly changed location. Maybe he is doing something around here?"

The pinkette could feel her heart starting to race. Hoping to calm herself, Sakura found a bench and sat down. A small smile was on her face as she watched the people in the park. Some elderly people were playing shogi, reminding her of two handsome senseis. A few children were running around the play structure, playing tag and what not. A couple holding hands walked by and Sakura wondered if that would happen to her and Sasuke. She continued to wait.

However, her smile slowly faded and worry washed over her. She checked the time again; Sasuke was half an hour late. Sakura dialed his number but it went to voice mail right away. Sighing, she hung up, "... Did something happen?"

At exactly five minutes before twelve, Sasuke arrived at Sakura's front yard. The boy had been well mannered in front of Shisui's girlfriend and she had taken a liking to him. Thus, as soon as church was over, she forced Shisui to give the boy a ride to wherever he needed to go.

Sasuke rung the doorbell as Shisui drove off, "Have fun on your date, Sasuke!"

The boy didn't reply. Although his face didn't show it, his heart was jumping with joy. The long awaited day has finally arrived and he couldn't be any happier. He was going to be on a date with the girl who plagued his mind; he planned to shower her with anything she wanted today.

However, after waiting for a moment, nothing happened. There was no hurried footsteps running about in the house nor conversations that could be heard. He rung the bell again, but there was still no response. Sasuke took out his cell and hissed when he remembered that it was broken and he planned to get another one today. He tried to peek through the window to see if there were burglars inside, holding his crush and her mother hostage.

Sasuke sighed when he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just then, someone called out to him. A man dressed in a clean suit walked out of the house next door and waved to get his attention, "Are you looking for the Harunos?"

Sasuke nodded, "Yes, I'm Haruno Sakura's classmate. Do you know where they went?"

The man locked his front door, "I saw Sakura-chan leaving about an hour ago and Mebuki-san goes on her grocery runs on Saturday mornings. I don't think they will be back for awhile."

"Sakura left? But she knows I'm coming…" Sasuke thought quietly as the man took out his car keys.

"Sakura-chan looked very happy," The man smiled, "Must be going on a date!"

"See you around, young man," he waved again and got into his car.

Sasuke stood there dumb found. Sakura was supposed to be going on a date with him. "Did she run out to buy something?" He sighed as he sat down on her tiny porch. Guess he'll have to wait, since he couldn't contact her.

Emerald eyes stared at the phone's screen worriedly. It was 12:30 and Sasuke hadn't called her yet. She had tried again earlier, but it went to voice mail immediately. Since Sasuke wasn't picking up, Sakura called Kiba but the fanged boy didn't know where his sports buddy was. Sakura sighed and leaned back on the bench, hoping that he would show up soon.

Sasuke checked his watch and realized that he had been sitting outside Sakura's front door for half an hour. He began to worry, "Did she try to save another child from a truck and got hurt?" A small bud of panic bloomed in his chest, forcing him to shoot up from the ground. He ran to the corner of the street and found a pay phone, but he couldn't remember her number. He cursed himself for not writing it down somewhere. "Guess I'll have to make a trip to the hospital."

Sakura's worry was slowly turning to anger. "He was the one who said he liked me… yet he doesn't pick up my calls nor call me back." She looked at the time again, it was almost 2; Sasuke had made her wait for nearly 3 hours. "I'm such a fool. I can't believe I actually sat here for so long." Many people had left the park already. Some old man who knew Sakura had invited her to join their shogi game, but she had declined nicely. One even asked if she was alright and she lied, telling them that the person who she was waiting for was coming soon.

She sighed as she stared at her phone longingly. Someone sat down beside her and she immediately turned to see who it was. It wasn't the dark haired boy who she expected and the person frowned at her obvious lost of interest. The man dropped a can of green tea in her lap, "This is from last time."

Sakura couldn't deny that she was indeed very thirsty, so she opened the can and downed a few gulps hurriedly. "Thanks, Akasuna-sensei."

The red head nodded, "Anyways, what are you doing?"

"Waiting," Sakura answered in a dying murmur.

"For what, the fourth hour?" Sasori said as he stared off into space.

Sakura blinked and stared at the man beside her, "How did you know that I was sitting here since this morning?!"

"So you really didn't move at all."

"I... Uh..." Sakura didn't want to admit how stupid she was.

Sasori spoke again, "I was on my way to the book store when I saw you sit down. I came back a few hours later and you're still here."

Sakura tried to change the topic, "Book store? Did you get anything interesting?"

"Sakura, who are you waiting for?" Sasori asked bluntly, ignoring her question.

"Uh..."

"Uchiha?"

Sasori's eyes narrowed when she nodded.

"Did you try calling him?"

She nodded again, causing him to sigh. Sasori took out his own phone and called someone, "Is he there? ... Yes, him. ... When do you close today? ... I'm bringing a guest. ..."

Sakura wondered who was on the other side of the line as Sasori talked. Once he was done, he hung up and held out a hand to her.

"Huh?"

Sasori looked at her indifferently, "Since he has been 3 hours late and has not contact you, I hereby declare your date 'over'."

Sakura gawked, "What?"

"Since you're all dressed up today, I'll take you somewhere nice, come," Sasori grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"But, he may be coming at this moment."

"He missed his chance, come," Sasori ordered and pulled Sakura away from the park. The pinkette had no choice but to follow. Sasori muttered something about taking the train and the pair walked to the nearest station side by side. Sakura had asked him to let go because she didn't want any misunderstandings.

During the ride, Sakura asked about Sasori's new books to pass the time. After riding on the train for half an hour, Sakura asked, "It's almost 3 o'clock, where are we going?"

Sasori pointed to a station's name on the map, "There. Don't worry, the place won't close until 9 tonight."

Sakura wondered why they were going somewhere away from the main city of Konoha. She had never been to the station that Sasori had just pointed out. "Oh well… I had decided to come anyways."

After they arrived and exited the train, Sakura gasped. Hanging all over the station were posters and banners that promoted a nearby Aquarium. Her eyes brightened when she remembered the commercials that she saw. "Kisame's Aquarium" was popular and famous. It had many different species of animals and was renowned for being one of the best at captive breeding and reintroduction to the wild. Sakura had wanted to visit this place for awhile now, but high school exams kept her busy and she forgot about it.

She looked at Sasori with gleaming eyes, "Are you taking me to the aquarium?!"

Sasori smiled at her childish expression, "Yes. I know the owner, come."

When they got to the station's exit, they found a long haired blonde waving at them. He ran towards them and grinned, "Hey, you must be Sasori's guest!"

The pinkette looked at Sasori, then back at the blonde, "um… Hello."

Sasori shrugged, "This is Deidara. We are part of the same art club."

Sakura shook his hands, "Nice to meet you, I'm Sakura."

The blonde grinned cheekily and Sakura felt like he was a hybrid between Ino and Naruto. He grabbed her hand and started walking away, "Kisame said Sasori was bringing someone to the aquarium and told me to come get you guys. He didn't say you were this cute! Are you his girlfriend?"

Sasori sighed as he followed, "Deidara, she is a student. Due to certain circumstances, I took her here."

Sakura was glad that Sasori didn't bluntly say that she was stood up on her date.

"Oh."

"So hands off the girl," Sasori glared.

"I'm a college student, so it's fine!" The blonde grumbled as he led them to a nearby car that was decorated with sea animals.

Sakura gasped, "Wow."

Deidara got in the driver's seat, "This is Kisame's 'work' car, pretty neat, huh?"

Sakura replied yes as he started the engine and drove away. The ride to the aquarium was fairly short. When they got out of the car, Sakura gasped. "Wow, this place is so big! The commercial made it seem smaller!"

Deidara shrugged, "Well, Kisame sure loves fish and other marine stuff. There is a dolphin show area, shark cave, penguins… He even have an underwater garden. It's actually more beautiful that it sounds."

Sakura looked lost for a moment, "The tickets must be expensive, I don't know if…"

Sasori cut her off, "We're taking you in through the staff entrance, it's fine."

"But-"

"Think of this as a payment for keeping Itachi and my secret," Sasori said softly as Deidara took them to the staff entrance. A security guard nodded when the blonde showed him his special ID and let them pass. Sakura was in awe, she often imagined what it was like to be "backstage" and it was as amazing as she thought it would be.

Deidara led them to the second floor, where the offices were located. He knocked on a door that had "Boss" written on it and pushed it open. "Kisame, I brought them!"

Sakura's eyes widen at the sight of the office. Two of its walls were made of glass, showing the aquarium on the other side. She couldn't stop staring at the colorful tropical fish that acted as live wall paper.

"Like what you see?" a gruff voice asked.

She turned and saw a bluish man with gill tattoos looking at her. He was tall, monstrous. His hair was blue and when he smiled, Sakura thought she saw razor sharp teeth. She quickly bowed in greeting, "Hello! I'm Haruno Sakura."

The man chuckled, "I'm Hoshigaki Kisame, boss of this place. Nice to meet you, little girl."

"Nice to meet you!" Sakura chirped. Although the man appeared scary, he seemed quite friendly.

"I'm leaving her in your care now," Sasori said.

Sakura spun around and stared at her sensei. He explained, "Deidara and I are going to an art exhibition, don't worry. They'll take care of you."

With that said, he turned around and pulled Deidara, who was waving goodbye to his new friend, out of the office. Sakura was at a complete lost. Akasuna sensei said he will take her somewhere nice, but she didn't expect it to be this nice. She also didn't expect him to leave her there… alone. Technically, she wasn't alone, but close enough.

"Hoshigaki-san…" Sakura fidgeted, "Uh…"

Kisame gave her a toothy grin, "Don't worry. Your personal tour guide will be back soon."

As soon as those words left his mouth, there was a knock at the door. It slowly opened and Sakura's heart skipped a beat. Standing in the doorway was none other than Uchiha sensei. He was dressed casually, in black jeans and a red muscle shirt. He seemed just as surprised to see her. "Haruno-san?"

Kisame waved at his Uchiha best friend, "Itachi, this is the person that I told you about. Go, take her on a tour and make sure she has fun."

Itachi tore his eyes away from the pinkette and glared at the blue man, "What is going on?"

"Don't ask why," Kisame said, "Just take her around. This place is huge, a few hours may not be enough for her to see everything."

The Uchiha looked at Sakura, who seemed to have shrunk into a ball, "Alright."

He held the door open, "If you will, Haruno-san."

Sakura nodded. She waved goodbye to Kisame and ran out of the door. She was too afraid to look at Uchiha sensei. Sakura had no idea that sensei would be here and she completely didn't expect this situation. Uchiha sensei was taking her around an aquarium, on a Saturday. Sakura's face flushed, "It's like a date." However, at the thought of that taboo word, Sakura instantly felt dejected. She had just decided to give Sasuke a chance, but he stood up her up. Then, just when she was at her lowest, Uchiha sensei came in the picture again. "… It's fine to enjoy this, right?"

Itachi stopped right in front of the doors that would lead them into the aquarium's guest corridors. He looked at the pinkette beside him. She looked more beautiful than normal. It was obvious that she had dressed up, but he had no idea why. "Haruno-san, what is going on?"

Sakura fidgeted, "I… well… You see…"

Itachi sighed, "It's alright if you do not wish to tell me." Itachi was curious, but he understood the meaning of privacy.

He was about to push the doors open, but she grabbed his shirt, "I was waiting for someone, but he didn't show up for a long time. Akasuna sensei saw me and decided to take me here."

"Waiting?" Itachi rose an eyebrow, "Sasori-san usually doesn't interfere with anyone's business. May I ask, how long were you waiting?"

Sakura really didn't want to tell him, but the answer came out anyways, "3 hours."

The Uchiha's eyes flashed red for a second, "You waited for someone for 3 hours? Whoever made you wait doesn't deserve you at all, Haruno-san."

Sakura released his shirt, "I tried calling him… maybe something came up." "… I can't tell him that it was Sasuke."

"Sasori-san made the right decision," Itachi said softly, "This place will surely cheer you up."

He pushed the door open and Sakura followed him out. They walked into a dark hallway that was only illuminated by the lights in the tanks. Itachi took Sakura around the entire underground floor, stopping whenever she saw something interesting. He took her to both the freshwater and saltwater exhibits and found himself smiling at her cheerful expression. He was glad that he had a hand in returning the smile back on her face. After they were done with the tanks, he took her to the underwater garden, where a small café was located.

When Sakura saw the café, her stomach unconsciously grumbled. Her face blushed and she prayed that he didn't hear or see what had just happened. Unfortunately, he did hear; but fortunately, he didn't laugh. Instead, he seemed rather concerned. "Haruno-san, when did you last eat?"

"I," Sakura paused before admitting, "I ate a bowl of cereal this morning."

Itachi's eyes flashed for the second time that day. He pulled her toward the café and ordered her to seat. Sakura's face was burning, "It's fine! Sensei!"

He narrowed his eyes and she gulped. Itachi waved one of the workers over, "Green tea for me. Order, Haruno."

The worker was a bit afraid of the Uchiha, but she smiled warmly at Sakura, "May I recommend the special?"

Sakura nodded quickly and the worker walked away. She had no idea what the special was, but she didn't want to think about it. Her mind was running around in circles. Uchiha sensei and her were sitting, together, at a café. "He is going to watch me eat, this is so embarrassing."

However, Itachi's thoughts were on a different level. He rarely got angry at anyone, but he made an exception for the girl in front of him. "She waited three hours for someone and didn't even eat. How foolish for such an intelligent girl."

While they waited, Sakura whispered, "Sorry, sensei."

"I accept your apology," Itachi said softly, "But you must take better care of yourself from now on."

Sakura nodded, "I will."

As soon as her food and his tea arrived, Sakura dug in. The special was tuna sandwich and it was amazingly delicious. She gobbled it down furiously, completely forgetting about Itachi's watchful eyes. It was after she was done that she realized he was staring. She flushed, "Sorry! Was I really gross?"

Itachi's eyes gleamed with amusement, "Not at all. I'm glad that you enjoyed the food. Shall we head upstairs now, Haruno-san?"

Sakura nodded in reply and dug in her bag for her wallet, but Itachi stopped her, "My treat." Sakura tried to fight for the check but Itachi annoyingly held it up: at a spot that she couldn't reach. In the end, she had no choice but to thank him for the meal and follow him away like a good little duckling.

It was almost nine when they arrived at the penguin exhibit. A sweet voice called out from speakers, bidding the guests goodbye and asking them to return soon. Sakura's smile fell a little at the announcement, "Fun time sure flies by."

"I'm glad you had fun, it is quite disappointing that you couldn't see everything," Itachi replied as he led Sakura back to Kisame's office.

"No, no! It's fine! Sensei, you're an amazing tour guide. I saw the things that I wanted to see most! The dolphins were very cute and the shark cave was cool! The sea otters were adorable, too! This place was better than I expected!"

Itachi's heart warmed at her beautiful smile, "I'm glad."

When they returned to the office, Kisame smiled, "Did you have fun?"

Sakura nodded, "This place is wonderful! I'll definitely tell all my friends about it!"

Kisame grinned, "Thank and thanks. If you work for me in the summer, I can give you a free pass like the one that Deidara has."

Sakura's eyes gleamed, "You mean it?!"

"Sure! But make sure you keep your grades up and not go to summer school!"

"I promise!" Sakura cheered.

Kisame didn't miss how Itachi smiled at the pinkette's enthusiasm. He looked at his friend, "Itachi, take her home safely, okay?"

The Uchiha nodded and extended a hand to Sakura, "Let's go."

Sakura was on cloud nine. She definitely was. She just had the most wonderful time at the aquarium with Uchiha sensei and he was taking her home! "Should I be happy about this? Sasuke was the one who stood me up and I didn't know Uchiha sensei would be there. I shouldn't be feeling guilty," Sakura reasoned.

When Sakura got to her station, she tried to tell Itachi that she could walk home alone. But the man had insisted, saying that the streets at night were dangerous. Sakura felt a strong sense of déjà vu as they walked side by side. Sakura stopped at the corner of the street, "Here is fine, sensei."

Itachi nodded.

"Thank you."

Itachi's eyes softened, "You're welcome, sleep well."

A pair of similar onyx eyes watched the exchange with growing fury. He didn't like the smile that Sakura was giving to Itachi. He didn't like the gentle look in his eyes. He didn't like how close they were standing together, as if they were intimate. He didn't like the fact that he didn't know what happened. He was furious.

After he had left Sakura's house, he had ran to the hospital. All the staffs remembered the heroic pinkette easily and assured him that she wasn't there. After that, he went back to her house, but no one was there still. Thus, he went to the local convenience stores and the train station. He even asked around, but no one had saw the pink haired girl that day. He spend hours looking and finally came back to her house an hour ago.

Mebuki was surprised to see him since she thought Sakura went out with him. Sasuke said that there were probably some misunderstanding and explained that his phone was broken, so he couldn't contact Sakura. Mebuki immediately dialed Sakura's number with her own cell, but it went to voice mail immediately. By that point, Sasuke was in full panic mode. Ironically, it was Mebuki who had to calm him down and suggest that he wait for her at their house. The blonde woman reasoned that Sakura probably didn't hear the call or she was somewhere without signal. Of course, they didn't know that the latter was correct: there was no signal at the underground part of the aquarium.

Sakura's heart almost stopped when she saw the boy standing outside her front yard. "Sasuke?"

His face was stoic but his eyes were sad. Sakura walked toward him, about to ask him why he didn't call her, but he spoke first.

"Why were you with my brother?" His voice was cold.

"I didn't know he was there," Sakura replied, "Akasuna sensei, he…"

"Hn, so you were with him too?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"That's because-" Sakura felt her heart clutch at the painful look in Sasuke's eyes. He looked so sad, broken, betrayed. She was angry that he stood her up but all the fury had left when she saw his sad, sad eyes. She wanted to reach out and hold him; to ask him what happened today and to explain that it wasn't Uchiha sensei or Akasuna sensei's fault.

"Enough," Sasuke backed up, "I guess you chose already."

With that said, the anger blinded Uchiha turned on his heels and ran. Sakura could only stare at his back as he disappeared into the darkness.

**DRAMA~ **

SorrowoftheHeart, please take your time~ no need to rush onto either ship yet. More drama has yet to come.


	10. Chapter 9

**This chappie is shorter, but oh well!**

**The One**

**IV: The situation in which he is angry and the other he is worried.**

"Have you talked to him at all?" Ino asked her best friend, who was looking rather gloomy.

Sakura shook her head,"He won't talk to me and he ignored all my messages."

Ino huffed, "This makes no sense! He was the one who stood you up! Why does it feel like you're in the wrong?"

"He saw Uchiha sensei take me home. I think something happened and he thought I ditched him for sensei."

Ino glanced behind them, looking at the sensei who was near the back of the group. "Ha, how ironic that he substituted for Hatake sensei for our trip."

Every year, right before Winter Break, the first years have to go on an outdoor trip to Konoha's ancient temples. It was a 3 days, 2 nights trip. The students would learn about the founding of Konoha and learn to work together as a team. Usually, only the first year teachers chaperoned this trip. But this year, Hatake claimed that he had a broken toe and couldn't make it. Many people didn't buy his lie, but no one complained; because Uchiha sensei was his replacement.

Itachi had been skeptical about Kakashi's broken toe, but he willingly took on the responsibility of the first years' chaperone. He wanted to keep an eye on Sasuke and Haruno. After that day at the aquarium, they both had been acting strange.

In the past week, Sasuke ignored him more than usual. His informant, Shisui, said Sasuke didn't even acknowledge him when he made a ruckus at the house. Haruno, similarly, had been oddly quiet. Whenever he passed by, she greeted him with a pained smile. He wondered if he did something wrong on Saturday but couldn't bring himself to ask. Sasori-san, who also noticed her sudden silence, suggested that she was upset about being stood up on her date. Itachi wasn't pleased with the boy who made her sad, but he had no idea who it was.

Itachi looked at the crowd of students walking in front of him and found a familiar pink head close by. He discreetly moved closer until he was walking next to her. He was bothered by the troubled expression on her face.

"Haruno-san, is something wrong?" he asked.

Sakura was happy that he was concerned, but her heart was heavy with worry and couldn't skip, "I'm fine, sensei."

Ino looked at him and lied, "She is just thinking about the test of courage."

Itachi smiled softly, "Is that so? Don't worry, all students are given a map and flashlights."

Sakura smiled weakly in reply. Itachi nodded and continued to speak with Ino. He didn't want to force the pinkette to converse when her mind was obviously else where.

Sasuke glared at the group in front of him.

He was watching Sakura the whole time and had noticed Itachi moving toward her. It irritated him that she continued to walk beside him, as if she belonged there.

...

After they arrived at the temple, the teachers separated the students into different chore groups. Most students were given cleaning tasks or wood gathering responsibilities. Only a handful were left to cook. By some miraculous chance, Sakura and Sasuke were two of the five in charge of making lunch. For a brief second, the pinkette felt hopeful.

A brunette looked at the group of four guys, including himself, and one girl. "I'm not being sexist, Haruno-chan, but I must say that carrying the rice and vegetables won't be an easy task for you. So, Sakura and Sasuke, please wash the utensils while we go get the stuff."

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, "I want to get the rice."

"You have a girly face, you should stay here."

"I thought you weren't sexist."

The brunette grumbled, "Fine, you go with them then. I'll stay here with her."

Sasuke, along with the other boys, nodded and began walking away. Sakura didn't like the cold gaze in his eyes nor the way he stayed far away from her. She was sick and tired of his silent treatment. Shouldn't she be the angry one?

She grabbed onto his jacket and whispered, so that the other three couldn't hear her, "We have to talk. I'll wait for you on the bench near the forest trail's entrance after dinner."

She released him and he pulled away. The three guys watched them quietly, wondering what she said. Normally, they would be idiots and tease them, but they weren't stupid enough to not notice the tension in the air. Heck,you could see the burning tension if you squint hard enough.

As the three boys walked away, Sakura and the brunette began washing the silver ware. The boy passed a knife to Sakura and she took it absentmindedly. She didn't even look at how he passed it to her when she reached out.

Itachi went to look at the chore list after he had paid his respect to the monks. He smiled when he noticed that Haruno and Sasuke were doing the same chore. Thus, he decided to check in on them first. However, what he found wasn't what he expected. Standing in front of the sink was Sakura, holding a bleeding finger. Itachi and the brunette called out her name at the same time, breaking her trance. The Uchiha grabbed her hand and pressed his own fingers against her cut as he told the boy the get a first aid kit.

Blood seeped out of the cut, dripping down both of their fingers and hands. Itachi felt like it was burning. He stared at the pinkette, who didn't even seem aware of the pain. He narrowed his eyes, "What is worrying you?"

Sakura looked away, "Nothing."

It was a lie. He knew that very clearly. There was little doubt in his mind that she was thinking about the person who stood her up. The sad look in her eyes was more than enough for an answer.

"Don't lie," Itachi whispered as he pulled her head toward his chest, "Haruno, you promised me that you'll take care of yourself."

Slowly, tears bubbled out of Sakura's eyes. Her finger hurt but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. She didn't even know how it happened. Somehow, Sasuke became important in her heart. She hated the betrayed pain in his eyes and she wanted to take it away. But most of all, she hated how she was willingly sobbing in Uchiha sensei's embrace.

Itachi sighed as the girl cried in his arm. She was strong, yet fragile. She didn't deserve to be hurt like that. A little voice in the back of his mind had a guess on who the person was, but he didn't want to think about it.

"Sensei, Haruno-Chan! I got it!" the brunette yelled as he ran toward them, surprising Sakura into jerking away from Itachi.

The brunette gasped when he saw her tear stained face, "Haruno-Chan, are you okay?"

Sakura rubbed her face with the hand that Itachi wasn't bandaging. "Yeah."

The boy gave her a questionable look, but remained silent as their sensei finished wrapping up her finger. Itachi sighed, "Be more careful, Haruno-san. Can you still work?"

Sakura nodded, "Thank you, sensei."

"Please continue," Itachi said as he picked up the kit and walked away. Of course, the pair didn't notice how he looked at Sakura for one last moment before turning away.

The brunette eyed the pinkette from the corner of his eyes. She seemed slightly less dazed but he won't be taking any chances. "You shouldn't touch the water, so you can pass me the stuff and only do chopping later, alright? I'll explain to the guys."

Sakura gave him a small smile, "Thanks."

When the three boys returned, they were shocked that Sakura had gotten injured. "She cut herself on a knife that I passed her, so I guess it was partly my fault."

"How did you bandage it up so well?" one of them asked as he inspected her finger.

"I didn't, Uchiha sensei did. He came to check on us," he looked at Sasuke, who had tensed up at the name, "Man, Sasuke, your brother can do anything!"

Sasuke didn't reply and started working, leaving the other three curious. They shrugged and began their own little conversation. Sakura, on the other hand, wasn't as carefree as they were. She had noticed how Sasuke reacted to his brother's name.

"Sasuke," Sakura said quietly, "I think he came to see you."

The brooding boy didn't look at her nor respond, which was his way of telling her to stop talking.

...

The rest of the evening had passed by and dinner was relatively quiet. Everyone, except the students with dish duty, were given free time until curfew. Some went to take a bath while others went back to their rooms.

Ino looked at Sakura with a worried expression, "Are you sure he will show?"

Sakura wasn't sure herself, "I don't know."

Ino rubbed her forehead, "Just get back before curfew."

Sasuke went to his room right after dinner. He had wanted to meet Sakura, but after he learned that Itachi had bandaged her finger, he chose not to. It was childish of him, but he couldn't help it. He laid his heart out, bare for her eyes to see, yet she stomped all over it. Sasuke didn't like how vulnerable she made him feel.

Sakura sat down on the bench and pulled her jacket tighter around herself. The wind was chilly but it wasn't too bad. Sakura could only hope that Sasuke would show up soon, because the sky was turning pitch black.

Sasuke's eyes were trained on the clock that hung in their room. Dinner had ended about an hour ago, which meant that Sakura had probably gave up and left the bench already. A little ping of guilt shot through him as he recalled Sakura's painful expression. "Maybe she didn't stood me up for Itachi." A small voice, Sasuke assumed it was his conscience, whispered, "Your phone was broken, she may have called you, you know!"

Deciding that the voice had a valid reason, Sasuke shot up from the ground that he was previously sitting on. All the other guys in the room jerked back in surprise, "What the heck, Sasuke?!"

He grabbed his jacket and rushed out of the room, ignoring them. He prayed that the pinkette was still waiting for him.

"Thank god," Sasuke whispered to himself when he saw a blur of pink in the distance.

However,when he got closer, he realized that she was slumped on her side. She was sleeping soundly, exhausted from the week of stress. Sasuke crouched down beside her and stroke her hair tenderly.

"Sasuke," she mumbled.

The boy jerked back, afraid that she had woken up. When she didn't stir again, he released her hair. Sasuke took his time to look at her face. Sakura was beautiful: pale skin, defined features, light pink brow. His eyes travelled to her pursed lips. He hesitated for a moment before he pressed his mouth against hers briefly.

He pulled back and noticed that she was still sleeping. His eyes trailed to the hand that was resting against her side and his eyes narrowed at the white bandage. "Sakura, why were you with Itachi that day? Didn't you say you will give me a chance? You know how I feel... So why?"

He ran his hand along her cheek, "I want to be mad at you, but..." He simply couldn't, because he loved her to the point that he would do anything for her. He had no idea when his like had grew into love, but that didn't matter. "I love you, Haruno Sakura."

**...**


	11. Chapter 10

**Sorry for this late and short chapter, but here you go!**

**The One**

**X: The situation in which he blurts out something and the things become even more complicated.**

Itachi stretched his arms over his head as he walked out of the forest, "There shouldn't be any problems."

Although he was fairly certain that Yamanaka had told a white lie when she said Haruno was worried about the test of courage, he still wanted to make sure that the trail wouldn't be too terrifying for the pinkette. This was why he had finished his dinner in a hurry and excused himself so there would be enough time to explore the wood trails. By the time that he was done, the sky was already a dark purple shade.

He was about to return to the teachers' rooms, but something stopped him in his track. His eyes widen when he spotted the girl laying on the bench. As he got closer, he realized it was none other than Haruno Sakura.

A surge of panic shot through him, until he realized she was just sleeping. Itachi tapped her shoulder gently, "Haruno-san, wake up."

She stirred and the jacket that was covering her from the night chill slid off her shoulder. Itachi narrowed his eyes in suspicion when he noticed that she was already wearing a jacket. He picked up the extra and read the name tag that every student was forced to make. His hand trembled unnoticeably when he found his own little brother's messy hand writing.

"Sasuke was here?" he looked around, but couldn't find the dark haired boy. Then he looked back at the girl and realization hit him like a blast of wind. The little voice in the back of his mind whispered,"She was waiting for Sasuke that day."

Itachi's fingers tightened around the jacket. A gloom haze filled his eyes. An unguarded expression of pain and betrayal covered his face. He wasn't even aware that he was hurt by that realization: Sasuke and Haruno were probably together. All he knew was that he didn't like the feeling of watching Haruno waiting for his brother desperately.

He knew that Sasuke was a good person and loved him dearly, but this was unacceptable. Haruno Sakura was a beautiful, intelligent, dedicated, and loving person. She ignored all her needs as she waited for him for hours in a park, accidentally injured herself because she was thinking about him, and waited in the dark, cold outdoors until she fell asleep. He didn't deserve someone like her.

Itachi looked at her again, "But then again..., who did?"

He reached out and patted her shoulder gently, "Haruno, wake up."

She stirred, then slowly opened her eyes. "Uchiha sensei?"

"Haruno, do you know what time it is?" he sighed.

Sakura gasped when she noticed the pitch black sky, it was obviously late, but she didnt have a watch with her, "I don't know..."

"It's 3 minutes to 10."

Sakura jolted off the bench, "I have to get back before curfew!"

However, before she could run off, Itachi grabbed her wrist and halted her. "Haruno, what were you doing?"

Sakura blinked, "I was... I was just looking at the stars."

Itachi wanted to ask her about Sasuke, but stopped himself. "I'll walk you back."

"Uchiha sensei-"

"No," Itachi said before she could deny his offer. "Either you walk with me quietly or I will throw you over my back and carry you back, Haruno."

Sakura gulped, "Are you angry, Uchiha sensei?"

"Should I be angry at someone who, after I repeatedly told to take care of herself, still choose to 'watch the stars' at night and fell asleep by herself?"

Sakura immediately knew that he knew she was lying, "Sorry, Uchiha sensei."

He didn't like the guilt residing in her voice, so he reached out and patted her head gently, "Promise me, you will tell me the truth after your problem is over."

She nodded in response as he dropped her off in front of the girls cabin and explained to Yuhi sensei, "She was lost, fortunately, we bumped into each other on my way back."

"Haruno, I thought you were smarter than that."

"It seems that she is a bit directionally challenged," Itachi said as he remembered the first day of school.

Sakura blushed, "Yeah."

Yuhi sensei sighed, "Haruno, if you know that, you shouldn't have went out alone. Tomorrow, make sure you stick with your friends on the walk to the temple."

Sakura nodded, waved goodbye to Uchiha sensei, and then went back to the room that she shared with a few other girls. Ino was waiting outside the door and she jumped at the pinkette as soon as she appeared. "Forehead, what did I say?! Before curfew! Before curfew!"

"Sorry," Sakura whispered.

Ino quirked an eyebrow, "What's wrong, what happened? Did he not show up?"

Sakura nodded, "I fell asleep on the bench, Uchiha sensei found me and walked me back."

Ino blinked, "Forehead, are you sure you want to give Sasuke a chance? Uchiha sensei is obviously the better choice here!"

"I... I don't know, Ino. Uchiha sensei is wonderful, but I feel awful for what is happening between Sasuke and me. He confessed to me, pig."

Ino placed a hand on her hip, diva style, "Well, I get confessions all the time, doesn't mean I have to accept them. You just have to sort out your feelings, without being influenced by guilt."

"Guilt?"

"Guilt. I know you, forehead. If you chose A, then you feel bad for B, and vice versa. In the end, someone is bound to get hurt."

...

Itachi clutched the jacket tightly with his hand as he entered the boys cabin. He was thinking about how to deal with the situation. He knew that he shouldn't interfere with their business even if Sasuke was his brother. However, the little voice in the back of his mind reasoned, "Haruno is failing to care for herself because of this, by interfering, you're helping her." But what he didn't know was why he wanted to help her so much.

A dark haired boy came into view before he could decide what to say, "Itachi?"

Itachi chose to just go with the flow, "Sasuke, this is yours, right?" he held out the jacket.

Sasuke grabbed it immediately, "How did you get this?"

"Did you have a problem with Haruno-san?" Itachi's voice was soft.

"That's none of your business!" Sasuke hissed, "You're annoying!"

"It is my business if she gets sick," Itachi countered, "She was waiting for you, wasn't she? How could you put a jacket on her and then leave? What if I didn't find her? She may have stayed there all night."

"Just stay out of this,you don't understand anything. This is between us."

Sasuke was about to turn around, but Itachi grabbed him, "Sasuke, if you don't treat her well, then I..." He paused, surprised by his own words.

There was a sudden moment of silence. Onyx stared at onyx. Sasuke's eyes widen while Itachi's hand slowly released the younger Uchiha's shoulder.

Itachi turned abruptly, "Clear up the problem soon, good night."

Sasuke stared at his brother's retreating back with shock evident in his eyes. He gripped tightly onto his jacket, "Itachi... You..."

The older Uchiha rushed back to the room that he shared with Might Gai. He was nervous, but he didn't show it on his face. A strange new emotion was making his pulse race and he didn't know how to control it.

Gai,who was on his second set of 100 pushups, looked at the young sensei who replaced his rival for the trip. He was surprised by the frantic look on the usually composed face. "Is something wrong, Young Itachi?"

Itachi shook his head politely, "I'm fine, please do not be concerned. "The man tried to make a poker face but the raw emotions in his eyes were clear to Gai.

"Itachi, if you don't feel well, please tell me! It will be unyouthful of you to keep things bottled up!"

Itachi felt his pulse slowly return to normal, "I'm fine, Gai-san. Thank you for your concern."

"Well, it's not just me, you know," he winked, "Many female students will be sad if our youthful sensei misses out on the test of courage tomorrow!"

Itachi smiled politely, "It is a pity that Kakashi-san will miss it."

"Yeah, I planned to challenge him to see who can finish faster!"

"Perhaps next time," Itachi replied as images of his brother and the pinkette walking together crowded his mind.


End file.
